We kicked off the first week of the Olympics by highlighting two of the strongest medal contending countries participating in the games: Australia and the UK. We’re going to finish strong this week and cover the two countries that are expected to win the most medals ( behind the US, of course).
Today’s country is: RUSSIA
Legal drinking age
There is no actual legal drinking age, but you do have to be 18 to purchase alcohol.
Alcoholic beverages made in Russia
• Baltika (beer), brewed in Saint Petersburg
• Stary Melnik (beer), brewed in Moscow
• Stepan Razin (beer), brewed in Saint Petersburg
• Stolichnaya, aka Stoli (vodka), produced in Moscow
• Smirnoff (vodka), originally from Moscow
• Russian Standard (vodka), Saint Petersburg
• Abrau-Durso (wine), between Anapa and Novorossiysk near the Black Sea Coast .
Brewery Tours
• Baltika Breweries in Saint Petersburg offers free tours for organized groups and tastings are available upon request. Baltika is Russia’s largest beer manufacturer and is the largest brewery in Eastern Europe (2nd biggest in Europe, right behind Heineken).
• Okay, so this isn’t a brewery, but with vodka being so important in Russia we decided to break the rules a little here. The Vodka Museum in Moscow is your one-stop shop to learn all about Russian vodka and the people that love it. After all that learning you will probably be a little thirsty, so stop by the tasting room on your way out.
Fun Facts:
• “White Russian” cocktails did not originate in Russia. They just got the name because they are made from vodka, the most popular alcohol in Russia.
• Russians are allowed to drink in the streets.
• 10% of the Russian government’s income comes from the sale of vodka
• Some studies say the average Russian man drinks 180 bottles of vodka a year. That works out to one bottle every 2 days.