Certain alcoholic beverages are known as spirits. They receive this name because they come from the Latin word spiritus, which means courage or breath and, therefore, is equivalent to the idea of spirit. It must be taken into account that alcohol is obtained from distillation and this process generates a vapor. The idea of vaporization has historically been associated with the notion of spirit.
The principles of distillation have been known for more than two thousand years. During the Middle Ages, distilleries began to produce liqueurs from wine and with the passage of time they began to use cereals to make spirits. Among the best known we can highlight whiskey, vodka, rum, different spirits, anise, gin, pisco or tequila. Each of them has its own cultural tradition.
How are spirits made?
The basic recipe for most spirits is based on a suitable mixture of two ingredients: water and some mixed cereals. Once all the ingredients have been combined, they proceed to fermentation and finally to a distillation process.
Distillation consists of the separation of the components of a liquid mixture from heat. This operation makes it possible to produce gasoline from oil or obtain fragrances from aromatic plants. However, the best known distillation is the one carried out in alcoholic beverages. Thus, by means of fire the aromas and flavors of the fermented wine are extracted and from here it is possible to obtain different types of spirits.
Vodka is one of the most storied spirits
The homeland of this drink is Russia and in Russian vodka means water. This alcohol is colorless and odorless due to its purity. As for its ideal composition, it must have 40 degrees of alcohol. Its excessive consumption creates a serious problem throughout Russia and, in fact, Russians have a lower life expectancy than other European citizens.
It began to be manufactured five hundred years ago in Moscow and from its origins the political leaders exercised an iron control over its manufacture and distribution.
In Soviet times, vodka was considered a proletarian liquor and this belief generated high rates of alcoholism in the population. In this sense, in the history of the city of Moscow there have been numerous fires caused by people drunk with the consumption of vodka. This type of phenomenon began to be fought by Czarism and later by Communism and measures were imposed that limited its consumption. However, these measures were not very successful, as the population began to make vodka at home.
Some historians who have investigated the Russian Revolution of 1917 have even affirmed that the assault on the Winter Palace occurred because large sectors of the population believed that large quantities of this liquor were stored in their cellars.
Photos: Fotolia - Ruslan Olinchuk / Igor Normann
