NationStates Jolt Archive

Euro MPs spurn 'pure vodka' bid

The European Parliament has voted down a bid by MEPs from Poland, Finland, the Baltic states, Sweden and Denmark to tighten the legal definition of vodka.

The decision means that Britain will retain its position as the world's second-largest vodka maker, behind Russia.

Speaking before Tuesday's vote, Finnish Socialist MEP Lasse Lehtinen said "this is a battle of the vodka belt against the wine belt, and in between lies the beer belt, which will get to decide".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6767193.stm

So it turns out there is a very loose definition of what a vodka is, Britain produces inferior drink (news?) and the beer belt is a political force

what do you think of this situation? does the purity of a mainly mixing drink really mean much? could the use sterility chemicals in Vodka stop teen pregnancy?

I'm with the Vodka belt on this though, if something has citrus fruit in it then its not Vodka and most of all it should be listed so people actually know what there buying

From experience, Russian vodka is much stronger!

They should protect wodka the same way the purity laws protect Belgian and German beer.

From experience, Russian vodka is much stronger!

and at only a loss of a third your eyesight :D

and at only a loss of a third your eyesight :D

Poitin on the other hand will finish off the other two thirds :p

Poitin on the other hand will finish off the other two thirds :p

so that why Yeltsin never managed to get off the plane :p

I prefer rum. :)

Mmmm... Vodka belt... must build me one.

EDIT: I hesitantly add some substance to my post, thusly; There are strict rules conserning foods and beverages producing in the EU - feta (now TM) cheese can only be produced in Greece, for instance - why not for Vodka!?!

I couldn't help but notice the quote was from a Finn. Wasn't Finnish food called the worst in the world by Berlusconi?

I couldn't help but notice the quote was from a Finn. Wasn't Finnish food called the worst in the world by Berlusconi?

That's why they need good vodka. :)

I couldn't help but notice the quote was from a Finn. Wasn't Finnish food called the worst in the world by Berlusconi?

Chirac I think, and as it happened the finnish representatives voting for France over the UK would've tied the Olympic vote, not that it definitely influenced them, but it's a thought.

The only two countries that should be making Vodka are Finland and Russia.

The only two countries that should be making Vodka are Finland and Russia.

Based on what reasoning?

Based on what reasoning?

Culture and originality.

The British government is trying to fight alcohol though isn;t it? That'll knock the vodka sales down.

This blatant anti-east-european/anti-vodka prejudice that is responsible for all the world's ill. I mean... good grief, have you ever attempted to ingest that disinfectant called Smirnoff which is produced in Scotland? You'd be better chugging down anti-freeze.

I like Polish and Russian vodka, mainly because the prospect of drinking it neat doesn't turn you into a gibbering wreck.

Just be careful when you go out drinking with unscrupulous Russian's though. I hear their two favourite tricks they like to play is only filling their shot glass half way whilst filling your's to brim, and the other being giving you a cylindrical shot glass and themselves a same-visual-size conical shot glass. Put these two together and the net effect is you're drinking 24 times as much as they are. Then once they have you pissed all the darstedly deed begin.

But if it's proper vodka then you really don't mind so much.

What? Europe has nothing better to do?

What? Europe has nothing better to do?Duh, what do you to think happens when you get a bunch of people and give them brotherly love? They start bickering over the definitions of words and how you can't have that word because you didn't define it as per the oxford dictionary, hence I win this game of scrabble.

Susposedly several centuries of warfare is supposed to lead the creation of beauty and the development of enlightment. By my watch the US still has several centuries to go.

The British government is trying to fight alcohol though isn;t it? That'll knock the vodka sales down.

More binge drinking than alcohol itself

Culture and originality.

Reyka vodka from Iceland is very nice indeed.

Wait? My beer belly is a political force? Cool :D

But meh, I don't really care, as long as the quality is good I'll drink anything with alcohol in it :)

I just don't think I like liquor period. If there was one I should like, I think, it would be vodka...but I gag(I've drank the typical vodkas that are sold here, and some are quite good). I've never drank scotch, and have always hoped I'd like a good brand of it(hoping it wouldn't smell or taste like all the many other brown whiskeys and bourbans). But so far.. I'm just a beer drinker. Wine I can drink .. without gagging.. but it's nothing I want to drink a lot of or get lit off.

Mmmm... Vodka belt... must build me one.

EDIT: I hesitantly add some substance to my post, thusly; There are strict rules conserning foods and beverages producing in the EU - feta (now TM) cheese can only be produced in Greece, for instance - why not for Vodka!?!

I'll start my own champagne (of blueberries) production next year. So what I've never even visited France. After that I have to think what to make of my lingonberries (growing on my backyard). Whisky perhaps?

Some guy said that it's not the same with vodka, because you can't taste the difference between real vodka and some regular shit made of distilling pomace. I bet he has never even tasted real vodka.

Anyway. Many countries have always made vodka of whatever ingredients. It's nothing new. So even as a Finn, I have to say that there is no reason why we should regulate the use of the term now. Polish have distilled it from coal (!) and tried to distill it from chickens (!!).

And vodka is not always flavourless. Some are, some aren't. Nordic vodkas usually have a flavour (And I don't mean some added flavour like in Cranberry Finlandia or Absolut Lemon)

does the purity of a mainly mixing drink really mean much?

WHAT IS THIS LACK OF SENSE I AM READING HERE!!

I'll start my own champagne (of blueberries) production next year. So what I've never even visited France.


But Champagne is named after the area in which its produced

Polish have distilled it from coal (!) and tried to distill it from chickens (!!).

Somehow I am not even surprised. :)

Polish have distilled it from coal (!) and tried to distill it from chickens (!!)

Could you please point me towards the (reachable) source of this information? This is the first time I hear this.

Culture and originality.

What about Ukraine, Belarus, Poland? Us Ukrainians invented Russia!

Could you please point me towards the (reachable) source of this information? This is the first time I hear this.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/23/news/vodka.php

It is in the internet, so it have to be true. :) In here there are several rural legands that people have made moonshine from dead cats, is that story true or just one legend among others...

I prefer rum. :)

Yes. Bacardi ftw.

What about Ukraine, Belarus, Poland? Us Ukrainians invented Russia!

Potato Factory an Ukrainian? Cool :)

Ought not to be drinking vodka anyways, its the worst variety of liquor by a big margin.

Anything vodka can do, gin can do better.

I'll start my own champagne (of blueberries) production next year.

No, you can't. At least you may not name it champagne unless you live in the French Champagne. This would even be true if you lived in the Swiss village of Champagne; they were forbidden to call their stuff champagne. Yay for naming silliness...

Just be careful when you go out drinking with unscrupulous Russian's though. I hear their two favourite tricks they like to play is only filling their shot glass half way whilst filling your's to brim, and the other being giving you a cylindrical shot glass and themselves a same-visual-size conical shot glass. Put these two together and the net effect is you're drinking 24 times as much as they are. Then once they have you pissed all the darstedly deed begin.

Thats genius!

Yes, there's also this dutch beer called Bavaria, and it has that name already for ages but they're also not allowed to call their beer Bavaria anymore in the rest of Europe :(

Yes, there's also this dutch beer called Bavaria, and it has that name already for ages but they're also not allowed to call their beer Bavaria anymore in the rest of Europe :(

They sell that here, called Bavaria...

What about Ukraine, Belarus, Poland? Us Ukrainians invented Russia!

Hmm, Belarus and Ukraine can come too...but Poland? :eek:

Thats genius!

The much simpler method is to fill one shot glass with water and the other with vodka

They sell that here, called Bavaria...

Hmm, then I'm not sure anymore... Maybe the rule was not put into effect yet, but I seem to remember something along those lines...


And hey, do I know you from this other forum of a political game, there's a Nadkor there as well :)

Hmm, then I'm not sure anymore... Maybe the rule was not put into effect yet, but I seem to remember something along those lines...


And hey, do I know you from this other forum of a political game, there's a Nadkor there as well :)

What forum's that?

What forum's that?

Particracy...

Hmm, Belarus and Ukraine can come too...but Poland? :eek:

Why not? We have our history of high-percentage alcoholic grain/potato beverages too (check Oracle of Internet (http://en.wikipedia.org)) :)

The much simpler method is to fill one shot glass with water and the other with vodka

But then i dont get any vodka :( . Tell me, wheres the fun in that?

But then i dont get any vodka :( . Tell me, wheres the fun in that?

You don't end up drunk in a maths dept office with three greeks and a random scottish person you've never met before stumbling to a strip club and possibly harrassing several strippers.....although you can't be quite sure

The only two countries that should be making Vodka are Finland and Russia.


I think a fair few Poles would be a little aggrieved at that prospect, not to mention the Baltic states.

My favourite vodka comes from New Zealand and is called 42 Below

wow thats oddly very detailed, happen to you much?

Part of me thinks it doesn't happen enough and the other half feels really bad it ever happens :p

You don't end up drunk in a maths dept office with three greeks and a random scottish person you've never met before stumbling to a strip club and possibly harrassing several strippers.....although you can't be quite sure

wow thats oddly very detailed, happen to you much?

Potato Factory an Ukrainian? Cool :)

Sez him.

Particracy...

Ah, ok.

In here there are several rural legands that people have made moonshine from dead cats, is that story true or just one legend among others...

Oh, that. I know personally people who during the martial law in 1981-83 made moonshine from hard candy, as the sugar was hard to come by. I know from my chemistry classes that alcohol can be made from coal. But noone in their right mind would call the result "vodka". That would be blasphemy! :eek:
Pity that the legislation (supported by Poland as you can read in the OP) failed. But I think that someone who complains about the taste of "vodka" made of bananas deserves no better for his ignorance. ;)

Potato Factory an Ukrainian? Cool :)

Ukrainian-Australian. And I'm half German as well.

Hah, mainly a mixing drink, you've never been in Finland or Russia. Here, we drink raw vodka, without anything, maybe sometimes put some cola in it put usually without any mixing with other drinks.

Hah, mainly a mixing drink, you've never been in Finland or Russia. Here, we drink raw vodka, without anything, maybe sometimes put some cola in it put usually without any mixing with other drinks.
how dare you put cola in it? vodka should only ever be drunk straight, normally with a chaser that is food based (liquid ones aren't as good).
anything else is blasphemy against the vodka

In Soviet Europe, Vodka drinks YOU!

In Soviet Europe, Vodka drinks YOU!

in soviet russia, vodka does you shooters

how dare you put cola in it? vodka should only ever be drunk straight, normally with a chaser that is food based (liquid ones aren't as good).
anything else is blasphemy against the vodka

Herring and black bread is to Vodka what no other food is to no other alcohol.

That's why herring and black bread is the only food served to Russian children for breakfast.

It's the law.

EDIT: 1, 111 posts - I'm tempted to start another nation and let this number stay for eternity, except now 1234 is my goal, then I'll stop...but then I can go for 1407 for my own reasons, then I'll stop....gah!

EDIT EDIT: Or I could just continue posting within this post.....forevah. Hmmm....

not entirely true...

Lies!

just don't EVER, EVER mix it with milkshake mix. ever.

Nor cooking whiskey with powdered chocolate in some farcical attempt to reproduce some Spanish drink on a student's budget - if 5 hours of continuous puking serves my memory correctly.

EDIT EDIT EDIT: Ahhh, ruined it anyway

Herring and black bread is to Vodka what no other food is to no other alcohol.

That's why herring and black bread is the only food served to Russian children for breakfast.

It's the law.
not entirely true... anything with herring will make a good chaser.
and what's with vodka being only 40%? 45-50% is far better...
then again, i drink 75% often enough, though it's technically not vodka, being made from dextrose.

I'm with the Vodka belt on this though, if something has citrus fruit in it then its not Vodka and most of all it should be listed so people actually know what there buying
quite.

From experience, Russian vodka is much stronger!

russian vodka is also much nicer than most of the horrible-tasting shit you can buy here. my flatmate's girlfriend at uni was Russian, and as such we got our hands on plenty of good 'ka!

just don't EVER, EVER mix it with milkshake mix. ever.

Could you please point me towards the (reachable) source of this information? This is the first time I hear this.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5333756.stm

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/23/news/vodka.php

It is in the internet, so it have to be true. :) In here there are several rural legands that people have made moonshine from dead cats, is that story true or just one legend among others...

ah, well, another source

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5333756.stm

I quote from the above url:
What, in practice, is vodka made of?
Different countries make it in different ways. Wheat is most popular in Russia and Sweden, barley in Finland, rye and potato in Poland. [snip] In principle a clear "white" spirit can be distilled from anything that ferments. It is reported that coal was used in communist Poland, but that efforts to use chickens were unsuccessful.

So the only person who claims that this clear "white" spirit was vodka is... you. As a Finn, you should be ashamed of yourself. ;)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6767193.stm

So it turns out there is a very loose definition of what a vodka is, Britain produces inferior drink (news?) and the beer belt is a political force

what do you think of this situation? does the purity of a mainly mixing drink really mean much? could the use sterility chemicals in Vodka stop teen pregnancy?

I'm with the Vodka belt on this though, if something has citrus fruit in it then its not Vodka and most of all it should be listed so people actually know what there buying

Huh? We make vodka? I live here, and I've never come across British vodka in my life. Don't think I want to, either...

Huh? We make vodka? I live here, and I've never come across British vodka in my life. Don't think I want to, either...

I have, sitting in front of me, a half empty bottle of "Glen's" vodka, with "Produced and bottled in Great Britain. Glen Catrine Distillers. Catrine, Ayrshire, Scotland"

The lid comes with a great slogan - "Glen's the exciting vodka".

Yes, exciting indeed.

Indeed. There's a company called Diageo. In Scotland it owns 29 distilleries and, amongst other products, produces 15 million cases of white spirits annually - the majority of this production I am led to believe is Smirnoff vodka.

I didn't know the stats off hand, but I do know that Scotland makes an awful lot of 'foreign' alcohol, including Smirnoff and Fosters.

The much simpler method is to fill one shot glass with water and the other with vodkaPfft, it's too easy to catch people out when they do that. Besides, it wouldn't work if the bottle you're filling the shot glasses from is on the table with you.

Pfft, it's too easy to catch people out when they do that. Besides, it wouldn't work if the bottle you're filling the shot glasses from is on the table with you.

Yeah much better in a bar.........unless the bartender starts to suspect you of trying to get someone drunk for illegal reasons. Stupid bartender

Indeed. There's a company called Diageo. In Scotland it owns 29 distilleries and, amongst other products, produces 15 million cases of white spirits annually - the majority of this production I am led to believe is Smirnoff vodka.

Diageo was created from the merger of Grand Metropolitan and Guinness, so a lot of the products from the two companies' portfolios were continued under the new brand.