Few things are as closely associated with Russia and Russians than vodka. This alcohol drink has been a part of Russian culture for so many generations, it is difficult to pinpoint when it became embedded in the Russian character.
This close association has, of course, given rise to the myth that Russians must have vodka every day, and that the country is full of alcoholics. Just like in most other countries, there are plenty of alcoholics -- this has been particularly true since the downfall of Communism in Russia and the subsequent collapse of the economy.
However, most Russians are not alcoholics,even though vodka and the drinking of vodka is a part of their heritage. Certainly not all Russians drink, some are tee-totalers, and vodka *is* considered a rather manly drink. When most Russian women drink vodka, it is in small amounts. They tend to prefer champagne, but will enjoy vodka on certain important occasions.
After living with a Russian for two years, I discovered one reason why Russian women tend to avoid the vodka. Poundage. My darling husband failed to mention to me that most Russian women avoided vodka, so there I was, trying my best to "out-Russian" a Russian. Needless to say, 40 pounds later and a threatening gall bladder taught me, and I advise all who read this -- don't ever try to keep up with a Russian when drinking vodka. It ain't worth it. Just enjoy a bit and watch the others. ;)
Most Russians drink vodka for one of three reasons, but certainly not every day. Reason one: to celebrate a special event, such as a wedding, birth of a child, birthday, New Year's Eve. Reason two:To relax, say, at the end of a hard day's work or the end of the work week. Russians typically believe this has everything to do with helping the body relax and cope with physical stress (they do not drink it routinely to relieve emotional stress, unless the person is an alcoholic), and also believe a few drinks aid in body circulation. There is some medical truth to this reason. Reason three: For medicinal purposes. Much like Americans and other English-type cultures have a nip of whiskey or brandy when they catch a cold, Russians have a nip of vodka, straight, and heavily peppered. The remedy is to take a shot of this peppered vodka, then jump in the bed with lots of blankets and sweat it out. I have personally tried this and it does help, but I have never been entirely cured!
Speaking of drinking vodka straight -- and this is an important thing to remember if you want to understand Russian culture -- vodka is *always* taken straight. Russian people cannot comprehend a "screwdriver" or "vodka and orange" so popular in other countries. Many a Hollywood movie shows Russians sipping on a glass of vodka, again, this is untrue. The vodka is taken straight (usually a 1oz. shot) and quickly.
This method leads to the vodka ritual. I am suprised that Hollywood has not learned of this very unique Russian approach as it would play well in a movie. Here, however, is the exact way Russians drink their vodka:
The ritual is very specific. If you are planning an evening of drinking with friends (Russians are loathe to drink alone, it is considered bad form and an indication of alcoholism), first prepare lots of food. Not snack foods such as is typical of American junk food. For the drinking to conclude successfully with no one becoming ill and to prevent a hangover, the food must be filling and hearty -- a complete meal. A popular menu might include: smoked fish and boiled potatoes with butter, cabbage, onion and tomato salad in oil, or perhaps "katletta"(a Russian hamburger made with minced pork) and mashed potatoes and gravy. Also have on hand a plate of fruit, such as grapes, breads and cheeses -- watermelon also goes wonderfully with vodka. Easy on the sweets, though.
The decision as to what vodka to drink is important, too.There are many companies who manufactor the liquor and it comes in a wide variety of flavors. The beginner should avoid the flavored ones. On the American market and many other countries, your best bet is Smirnoff (the classic and most traditional)or Absolut, or Stolynichnia. These are good quality vodkas and have a high-enough percent of alcohol (40 pecent)to provide the desired effect without drinking too much. Russians also favor Moscovska vodka, but this is difficult to find outside of Russia. Another popular vodka is homemade, as a number of Russians at home and abroad make their own.
Once you have gathered family and/or friends, sit down at a full table and pour each person a chilled shot of vodka. Have your fork ready and full of food, raise your glass along with everyone else, and make a toast (bear in mind that if it's just the regular family present, such a big deal with toasting usually does not occur, unless there is a very special occasion). Favored toasts are the cliche-ish "Naz dyroovnia", or "Zah vsyo kharohshoyeh" ("May everything be good in your life") or, depending upon the occasion, a salutation to the honored guest for their birthday, marriage, etc. Then, everyone "clinks" glasses (this signifies trust in one another).
Next, take a quick, short intake of breath, blow it out, bring your forkful of food to your nose and get a good whiff -- and then you are to drink the vodka immediately and quickly (trust me, it goes down better if it goes fast). When your glass hits the table, again blow air out through your mouth (not enough to annoy or start a fire,mind you -- smell your food again, then eat it. Have several more forkfuls, chat with your friends, then perform the ritual twice more. After the third drink, take a break, talk, eat some more, some people smoke, whatever.
After the passage of about 20-30 minutes, the set of three rituals is repeated, and subsequently repeated until everyone is pleasantly "sloshed", has had enough, or the vodka is gone. Being married to a Russian man, I can tell you I have participated in this experience many times and I can guarantee if you are a healthy, adult person and follow the directions exactly, you will not have a hangover later or the following day. There are a couple of exceptions to this ritual. First of all, if there has been a death and you are participating in a sort of "wake" for the dearly departed (at which there is plenty of vodka), toast only the memory of the deceased and do not touch glasses. The other is that if you have no food, but really would like some vodka anyway, you can smell the sleeve of your shirt prior to drinking and that helps -- however, I doubt it will keep you from getting a hangover, though some people say it will.
Before we finish up with this edition of Russian culture,let's discuss the role that vodka has played in the downfall of the Russian economy. This is an interesting, cautionary tale. Back in 1985, when Mikhail Gorbachev (universally reviled by Russians btw), Russia's new leader, decided to try and legislate morality by severely cutting the production of vodka. He felt there were too many people destroying their lives with drink. Can you imagine how well this went over?
In order to buy vodka (*if* you could find it at all), you had to have a special token and buy it in a special shop -- or buy it off the street and take your chances. If you pursued the latter, a number of things could happen. If you were lucky, the vodka was ok, not so lucky it would be watered down, and the worst case scenario, you may have bought a bottle of what was mostly acetone. A great many people died from this, and other illegal mixtures during the late 1980s.
Does this story sound a bit familiar? The United States went through a similar fiasco during the 20s and early 30s -- which also gave rise to the Mafia in America. The same thing happened in Russia -- and now look how much the Mafia controls there. Gorbachev was warned, repeatedly, to learn from the mistake made in America. What is so amusing about his refusal to listen is that Gorbachev is an economist by trade! He was surely aware of the Prohibition disaster in America, but he was also convinced (as most of us are) that his situation was different.
But this policy worked even worse in Russia, because unlike in America,the national drink of Russia is taken very seriously by all Russians, even those who choose not to imbibe. It is imbeded in their culture, in their blood -- and they weren't going to let Gorbachev or anyone else take that away from them. After a few years, the law was rescinded -- but the Mafia had made their start-up money and proceeded to steadily increase their grip on the Russian economy and society. Today, the economy is basically theirs.