What's In Vodka, Anyway?

Patricia Herlihy

Poland is the largest vodka producer in the EU and the fourth largest in the world.

The Polish Lower House of Sejm recently voted to accept a strict definition of Polish vodka: 'Polish vodka is an alcoholic beverage produced from grain or potatoes harvested in Poland.' The 400 MPs voted for the measure, none were against and 38 abstained. The new law changes the definition of 'Polish vodka' and defines the technical specifications for the preparation for the spirit.

The vote came in the wake of a 2008 EU decision to allow the name 'vodka' to be applied to alcoholic beverages produced from other raw materials such as grapes. Ciroc Vodka, made in France, is distilled from grapes, whereas one of the English Chase Distillery offerings of vodka is made from apples.  In the United States, 4-Oranges Vodka uses that fruit.  Newer brands are Spike Vodka made from prickly pear cactus in Texas and VuQo Premium Vodka, the only vodka in the world distilled from coconut, made in the Philippines.

How to Inhale Vodka

Patricia Herlihy, author of Vodka: A Global History

In addition to the powered version of vodka invented by a St Petersburg professor I mention in my book, a Harvard professor has invented a vodka mist or spray, called Wahh:

About $26 will buy you a Wahh canister, which contains around 25 'puffs' of vaporized alcohol. Hold the lipstick-sized tube up to your mouth, breathe in, and a burst of vodka-flavored mist delivers a dizzying sensation. The feeling fades within seconds, leaving you sober enough to pass a breathalyzer test.

The science behind the vaporizer is pretty simple. Each puff of vapor contains only .075 milliliters of alcohol – the equivalent of about 1/1000th of a shot of liquor. Edwards explains that by vaporizing a single drop of alcohol, Wahh 'increases its surface area by approximately 1,000 times'. In other words, the vapor tricks your brain into thinking that you’re inhaling a thousand droplets of alcohol, rather than one.