Drinking establishments in Russia

Russia today is considered one of the most drinking countries in the world. Some disagree with this statement, others, on the contrary, are even proud of it, while others are neutral. But when did the first drinking establishments appear in Russia? Who became the reformer? We will try to understand this issue further.

Is drinking an eternal vice of Russia?

Many people think that a drinking institution in the old days already existed, having arisen, so to speak, from the very beginning of the formation of the state, and the Russian peasant already suffered from alcoholism. But this is not so. Rusichi consumed only low-alcohol drinks with a strength of no more than 1-6%: mash, honey, beer, kvass. Their action quickly disappeared. During the period of cultural ties with Byzantium, red Greek wine was imported to Russia , which was consumed only on church holidays among the "best" people of the principality. But these drinks were also not too strong - no more than 12%, and were consumed only with diluted water, just as they did in Greece and Byzantium. When did the first drinking establishments appear in Russia? How did it all start?

Feast - a princely tradition

Old Russian epics, tales and tales mention princely feasts on which "tables were breaking." These were private feasts that the princes arranged for their boyars. Such gatherings were called “brothers”, and women were not allowed to visit them.

But there were events at which the weaker sex was present, and such feasts in this case were called "folds". Until now, such a word is found in spoken language: for example, “play together”, which means sharing the costs equally, buying something together, although such expressions are increasingly becoming a thing of the past. And we will return to our topic.

The most popular drinks at such events in Ancient Russia were:

• Red wine from Byzantium (before the Mongol-Tatar invasion).
• Beer.
• Kvass, which essentially tasted like beer.
• Honey. The meaning of this word in translation into modern language means "mead." Sometimes they made a clarification - “hoppy honey”, but not always.
• Braga. In fact, it was made from honey, only it was added in smaller quantities, since there was no sugar then.

Drinks were made independently in each princely or boyar's court.

"Do not drive away the cocks!", Or the first drinking establishments in Russia

The first official opening of the “bars” is connected not with the name of Peter the Great, as many might think at once, but with another controversial character in our history - Ivan the Terrible.

After the capture of Kazan, drinking establishments began to appear in Moscow and were called taverns. After some time, they began to call them “royal taverns”, “circle houses”. And only in the middle of the 18th century did they receive the definition of “drinking establishments”.

With the opening of such establishments, drinks at home ceased to be produced. Everyone wanted to spend time in a crowded place.

It is very curious that the first official units of measure for liquids bore the names of measures from the first "bars": a bucket, a stop, a mug, etc.

The very word "tavern" of Tatar origin had the meaning of "inn". That is, initially they were the first hotels for the guardsmen and warriors, which served various alcoholic drinks.

But taverns began to attract wide sections of the population, and the fees from the sale of alcoholic beverages to the treasury exceeded all expectations.

“Pitukhov (from the word“ drink ”) should not be driven away from the tsar’s taverns, surrender the circle collection against the past with a profit,” the state decree read. This means that the authorities of the Moscow state not only did not fight alcoholism in the country, but, on the contrary, developed such institutions and encouraged the use of alcohol among the general population. The names of the drinking establishments were different: "Big Tsar Tavern", "Unquenchable Candle." But all of them were officially called “tsarist taverns”, and since 1651 - “circle courtyards”. And only in 1765 they received the name "drinking houses".

The first "dry laws" in Russia

The situation with drunkenness was so serious that Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was forced to convene a Zemsky Cathedral, at which the fate of such "bars" was decided. Then the authorities wisely limited the number of such establishments, and no more than one cup was allowed to sell takeaways. But to overcome the habit of the people is not so simple. They bought vodka in buckets, because there were simply no bottles familiar today. One such container of “life-giving water” or “hot wine” contained about 14 liters of drink.

An interesting fact: the weight determined the quality of vodka. If the bucket weighed 30 pounds (about 13.6 kg), then alcohol was considered good quality, not diluted. If more - the owner was waiting for a harsh dismantling. By the way, today you can also resort to similar verification methods. One liter of pure 40% vodka should weigh exactly 953 grams.

The taverns close - the taverns open

Since 1881, there has been a qualitative change in the anti-alcohol policy of the state.

Tavern from this time close. But instead of them, a small drinking establishment appears - a tavern or tavern (originally this term was applied to moonshine). There were several differences:

1. In addition to alcohol, they began to sell snacks, which was not practiced before.
2. A state monopoly was introduced in the country, which means that such an institution was obliged to take special permission to sell and buy alcohol only from state-owned distilleries.

Mendeleev "invented" vodka?

At this time, a special commission is convened, headed by the famous chemist D. Mendeleev. She decides how to instill a drinking culture in the population in order to “teach to look at vodka as an element of a feast, and not as a means of causing severe intoxication and oblivion.”

Apparently, therefore, the myth is widespread in our country that it was Mendeleev who “invented” vodka. This is actually not the case. It was only for the first time that it was with this term, at the official level, that he began to call a strong alcoholic drink. Before that, it was called by different names: “boiled wine”, “bread wine”, “feed”, “fiery water”. The term “vodka” itself was considered slang before, came from the diminutive “water”, “voditsa” and was used only in relation to alcohol-based medicinal tinctures. Hence, it is believed that our famous chemist “invented” vodka. But it is worth noting that Mendeleev derived the modern optimal proportions of the drink: 40-45% alcohol, the rest is water.

Problems not resolved

Excise reform led to the opposite effect: a high-quality product was replaced by cheap low-quality potato vodka, as several authorized plants worked either for export or for army medicine.

After the revolution, it was completely forbidden to sell alcohol, but since 1924 its sale was resumed. After that, there was still an attempt to introduce a “dry law” during the perestroika period, but such a policy destroyed only high-quality alcohol in the country, and republics such as Georgia and Moldova were on the verge of bankruptcy, as the bulk of their exports were wine materials and wine.