VODKA

Vodka is one of the world’s most popular distilled alcoholic beverages. In much of the world, its popularity owes to its convenient use in many cocktails such as vodka tonic, vodka martini, Bloody Mary and screwdriver. In much of the Slavic-speaking world including Russia, Poland and Lithuania, people drink vodka “straight up,” in a shot glass without any juice or tonic mixed in. Most vodka has an alcohol content of 35 percent to 50 percent by volume, though some manufacturers set the alcohol content at a minimum of 37.5 percent for it to be considered vodka. The majority of vodka is produced in the Nordic and Slavic countries, most prominently in Russia. The term vodka comes from the Slavic word for water.