Contrary to popular thought good homemade Russian vodka is not made from potatoes. There is a chance that potato vodka could made you very sick so the Russian moonshine is made from grain or fruit maybe beets or whatever is available. It is called samogon and is used as currency in the villages and made by Babuskas, old women, in their kitchens. You can find it for sale in the small stores located inside housing complexes sold in 8oz clear plastic cups with plastic wrap covering it. It may be very good or not so good depending on what it is made from and who made it. I liked the samogon made from fruit grown on the Babuska's property that I visited. In a small village everyone knows who makes good samogon and they get the most business. I also enjoyed the barley samogon. It can be made without fear but the selling part is forbidden so that is why it is a little open secret.
Russian Moonshine
- Thread starter TimD.
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Very interesting!! Thanks for the information!
The only vodka I have had that was made from potatoes was Reyka from Iceland and Chopin from Poland.
What is the proof of the vodka from fruit? I have seen Ciroc vodka in our local store and it is distilled from grapes.
What is the proof of the vodka from fruit? I have seen Ciroc vodka in our local store and it is distilled from grapes.
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- #4
It is hard to say what proof it is, it is way more than brandy, it had a the slightest color ting and flavor from the fruit but it was not what passes for fruit vodka in the US, yuck. The Russian family I visited was a little shocked that I asked if they used potatoes and they did say that was more of a Polish thing. I have not tried the Ciroc, how is it? I was saying yuck to regular vodka that they added artificial fruit flavor to as a sales stunt. Many Russians take pride in their vodka and they drank my Russian Standard to be polite but I suspect they liked their own more.
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- #5
Russians do not drink for no reason, they just have more reasons. When you visit someone they will give you a shot or two or ten and then when you leave they need to give you a last shot for the cold outside. Typically a bottle is put on the table before the meal, when the food is served there will be a toast and a shot, then food is served family style and then another toast and then more food and so on for a hour or more. The women will usually switch to brandy or wine and the men are expected to drink vodka. It is rude to refuse vodka but not rude to fall down from drinking vodka.
Tim:
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Haven’t tried Ciroc. It is backed by a rap entertainer so it has become popular. It seems that if an entertainer is producing a beverage it can become expensive even if it is mediocre in quality.
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- #9
Six years ago and I spend nearly three months there and visited Moscow, Kirsk, Belgorad, Tula, and then a dozen cities in Ukraine and Crimea. Kyiv, Natishan, Ostroh, Sevestapol, Simforpol, Yalta, Odessa and many more than I have forgotten. I traveled by train at night and rarely spent more than three nights in a city. The Carpathian Mountains are similar to our Smokey mountains and I also went there.Tim:
View attachment 954573 Great story and info...I wouldn't have known there was such a thing (bet it's 'as smooth as silk'), but when was the last time you were in Russian (and the name of the village)
"I used to think moonshine was bad for me...so I gave up thinking". Popular Saying
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- #10
It is believed that samogon is consumed more than taxed vodka so the alcohol consumption numbers are way low.
Tim:
Trans-Siberian Express?
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- #12
Well the trans Siberian travels south and East from Moscow to Belgorod and then much further East to the Pacific ocean so I took that line as far as Belgorod and then went south into what is now the war zone of North East Ukraine. So the Moscow to Belgorod trip is overnight but I think the full trip is a week. There is no shower on the train, I used a two liter bottle of warm water in the bathroom, drains onto the tracks as does the toilet. I think the Orient express starts in Paris and follows the same line to the Pacific. BTW it is about 90 degrees F in the train during the coldest part of the winter. Russians frown on fresh air during the winter. Russian women will not sit on a cold surface as they think it will harm their fertility.Tim:
Sorry to get off-thread, but wow...you've traveled all over Russia...every ride on the famous Orient or
Trans-Siberian Express?
View attachment 954585 "Лучшие путешествия не всегда по прямой" ("The best journeys are not always in straight lines"). Russian Travel Proverb
Indeed.
This is the most interesting thread i’ve read in awhile! So TimD what would you compare the flavor to? To me and my US palate, high end vodka is more of a mouthfeel thing than a flavor thing. It’s almost as if the absence of flavor is generally regarded as a sign of quality. I’m not much of a vodka drinker so i don’t claim much knowledge in that regard. What you’re describing sounds much more interesting and i’m curious as to what you thought about it.
All this talk of vodka and the Trans Siberian railway makes me want to open my bottle of Ghengis Khan Mongolian vodka that was a souvenir from my mother when she travelled from Mongolia to Moscow.
The stuff my wife's uncle makes in Belarus, was from apples and it was phenomenal!
Tim:Well the trans Siberian travels south and East from Moscow to Belgorod and then much further East to the Pacific ocean so I took that line as far as Belgorod and then went south into what is now the war zone of North East Ukraine. So the Moscow to Belgorod trip is overnight but I think the full trip is a week. There is no shower on the train [what...no showers?], I used a two liter bottle of warm water in the bathroom, drains onto the tracks as does the toilet. I think the Orient express starts in Paris and follows the same line to the Pacific. BTW it is about 90 degrees F in the train during the coldest part of the winter [sich...that's hot on that train]. Russians frown on fresh air during the winter. Russian women will not sit on a cold surface as they think it will harm their fertility [].
Wow...thanx for all the info!
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- #18
Yes, vodka is considered a tasteless spirt but that is not really the case with moonshine. Big distillers use reflux stills, Russian moonshine is made from a pot still. Reflux stills strip out any taste after 4-6 times as many proudly tell you, pot stills retain flavor even after it is distilled to 180 proof. Both types of distilling then water down to about 80 proof. Flavors can be present in the water used to cut the vodka/moonshine and some flavors will be retained when only pot distilling is used. It is faint, but I could taste the difference in what was used to make the moonshine. Some distillers will pot still the first run and then use a reflux after and they will brag about their product being pot distilled which is technically correct but a little misleading. George Dickel is such a distiller, their 8 year can have a pronounced corn note to it. I felt like the plum moonshine had a soft feel to it and very smooth, the barley moonshine was more abrupt and had harder edges. We are talking about two different distillers making the stuff in their kitchen so while it was very good maybe the barley had a higher proof.
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- #19
Yea, I think this could catch on in the US if marketed properly. The flavor is subtly but has a polished taste, great for sipping. The trouble is most young people want lots of flavor more like a jolly rancher and the older crowd already has their favorites.
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