Last weekend marked 144 years since Dmitri Mendeleev defended his dissertation On the Combination of Alcohol with Water, the date linked to the official birthday of Russian vodka. The article explains how he studied the ideal composition of the drink, why mixing alcohol and water reduces volume, and how vodka became part of Russian history long before Mendeleev. It also offers a brief look back, from the first distilleries and taverns to the Siberian factories of the 19th century, which brought the provinces a significant share of income.

Last weekend, the nation’s favorite drink celebrated its 144th birthday. It was exactly this many years ago that the great chemist Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev defended his dissertation, “On the Combination of Alcohol with Water.” The famous chemist is not considered the creator of vodka—the intoxicating drink appeared much earlier; however, January 31 is traditionally regarded as the official birthday of Russian vodka.
100 grams of pure alcohol + 100 grams of water—the mixing of these components defies all mathematical laws. The volume of the liquid decreases by 2%. Dmitri Mendeleev was the first to notice and prove this interesting fact; it is believed that the famous chemist also brought the intoxicating drink to the classic 40 degrees of strength.
Mendeleev was carrying out a royal order—he was choosing the optimal composition of vodka for sale. But the Slavic people enjoyed alcoholic drinks even before Mendeleev. In the middle of the 15th century, distilleries producing vodka appeared, and a century later the first taverns opened. And another hundred years later, tavern riots swept across Rus', sparked by a conflict between indebted drinkers and tavern keepers who demanded repayment of debts.
If we speak of Siberia, by the 19th century there were 12 distilleries and 13 vodka factories on its territory. Most of the industrial income was filled by the alcohol business. Because of this, the province was even jokingly called “drunken.” Interestingly, vodka magnates offered several dozen flavors of this drink.
Such a variety of flavors is not popular now, and the drinking culture of people in the 21st century is completely different. Only one thing has passed through the centuries—the knowledge of a high-proof drink, as Mendeleev said. And 150 grams of vodka is more than enough.