How to Drink Vodka Like a Russian

Russia has a tone of tricks to teach the rest of the vodka-drinking world.

Being the pioneers of this distilled beverage, it is right to pick a thing or two about their drinking habits, including why they don’t freeze their vodka, and why you shouldn’t.

Below is how to drink vodka like a Russian would:

1. Vodka goes down well with a friend.

Drinking vodka in Russia is a social activity with lots of cheer, laughter and toasting. Doing this all by yourself means drinking vodka the wrong way. The formula is simple; make a toast, drink, have a bite, repeat.

2. Pair it the right way.

Russians often go for something clean, crisp and light in texture, like Stolichnaya, whenever they wish to pair their drinks with meals. And if it is the Martinis or something they would want to sip straight, they often go for something more fruitful like the Skyy Vodka .

3. Do not chill.

Freezing vodka is a common mistake that masks the flavor. While there is a good argument that drinking vodka straight from the freezer changes the drink’s viscosity and enhances the flavor, most vodkas often become muted in the freezer. For this reason, Russians enjoy their vodkas most at room temperatures.

4. Stay sober.

Other than the obvious reason of staying in control, Russians know that drinking moderately lets one stay at the table for long and toast more without getting blown out. A trick they exercise for this purpose is to have a bottle of Coke or Water on the table. These they use as chasers. Makes them last longer.

Bonus tip: small shot glasses are key to have in dinner parties. In fact, most Russians enjoy sipping their vodka from glasses with shorter stems as a way of avoiding unnecessary spillage.

In Russia, the point of drinking vodka is not getting drunk, but enjoying the spirits of the land and the craftsmanship behind them. Do you know of any interesting Russian vodka-drinking habit we left out? Tell us about it in the comments!