40° Degrees East: An Anatomy of Vodka - Peter Iglikowski, Nicolas Ermochkin

Vodka is enjoying unprecedented popularity in the West at the present time. Specialized vodka bars are opening all over Continental Europe and the U.S. 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?