40 Degrees East

Vodka is enjoying unprecedented popularity in the West at the present time. Specialised vodka bars are opening all over Continental Europe and the US. It is becoming increasingly fashionable to drink vodka neat. The top restaurants in New York, Paris and London no longer have misgivings about serving quality iced vodka with fine gourmet dishes. Premium vodkas are regularly found on the shelves of retail wine outlets reserved for cognac, euax-de-vie and whiskey. But paradoxically, in Poland and to a lesser degree in Russia, vodka's popularity is waning as the middle class discover wines and spirits imported from the West. What is happening here? This neat book explodes the myths surrounding vodka, unravels its history and describes its production. The style and culture of vodka drinking are articulated in spellbinding fashion. This is truly one for the road. Contents: Introduction; Part I: Demon Drink: The Cult of The Green Viper; Vodka Rites and Revels; A Thousand Years of Vodka?; Reflections on Perceptions; Triple Distilled from Premium Grains; Tasting Notes; Part II: The Only Genuine Vodka (Russian); The only True Vodka (Polish); The Only Authentic Vodka (Ukrainian); Myths, Mat