Vodka from The Netherlands

Vodka is one of the most consumed distilled beverages. It is typically a colorless liquid containing ethanol purified by distillation from a fermented substance such as grain or potatoes. The word is constructed as a diminutive of water in various Slavic languages.

Except for various types of flavorings, vodka consists of water and alcohol. It usually has an alcohol content ranging between 35 and 50 percent. The classic Russian and Polish vodka is 40 percent. This can be attributed to the Russian standards for vodka production introduced in 1894 by Alexander III from research undertaken by the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev. According to the Vodka Museum in Moscow, Mendeleev found the perfect percentage to be 38, but since spirits in his time were taxed on their strength, the percentage was rounded up to 40 to simplify the tax computation. At strengths less than this, vodka drunk neat, not mixed with other liquids, can taste watery and above this strength the taste of vodka can have more burn. Some governments set a minimum alcohol content for a spirit to be called vodka, for example, the European Union sets a minimum of 37.5 percent alcohol.