By Kaniesha Samone Williams

     Vodka is a clear liquor made from ethyl alcohol. It has a little taste and smell. Vodka is used as a base for many alcoholic drinks and cocktails today.Russians came up with the name vodka from the latin word voda which means water.Vodka originally came from potatoes in Russia for medicinal purposes.Also, Russians traditionally drunk vodka on special occasions like weddings,child births or getting a new job. In today's present society vodka is made of barely,wheat or rye. Vodka came from the Russians idea of diluting strong alcohol with water so vodka is nothing more than distilled wine. The grain that is used to make vodka gets distilled three times then added to deminerized water then added to vodka to bring it down to consumable levels.

      Adulturated vodkas are now a popular alternative to the original. These will normally contain a mixture of sweeteners, flavourings, colorings and fruit juices. Most flavored vodka contains 30-35% alcohol, whereas clear vodka is normally 40%, with a few brands offering a 50% product on top. Most vodkas are 40%  alcohol but the burning in the throat and heat on the tongue depends on the differences in brands. Less expensive brands burn the most but the most expensive brands goes down your throat smooth. One of the cheapest vodkas is smirnoff compared to one of the expensive vodka, grey goose.The vodka bottles come in different sizes, the bigger the more it cost.   

      The different flavors came from the Russians naming the different vodkas after the letters in the Russian alphabet like blackberry and acorn, cherry and pear and caraway and dill. Alot of people made their own vodka with their own ingredients.

     Vodka is a popular alcoholic drink in todays society.Most people drink it at parties, on birthdays and on holidays. A lot of people may say that vodka smells a lot like rubbing alcohol.  

 Drinkmixer.com, Vodka, 2008, 1-21-2009,http://www.drinksmixer.com/desc28.html

Vodkamuseum.com, History of Vodka, 1-21-2009.http://www.vodkamuseum.ru/english/history/

Colleen Graham, Vodka 101, 2009, 1-21-2009http://cocktails.about.com/od/spirits/p/vdka_101b.htm

Drinkswap.com, Vodka,2009, 1-21-2009 http://www.drinkswap.com/browse/drinks_by_ingredient.asp?type=Vodka