Culinary Historians of New York and Astor Center present:
"Vodka Goes Global" with Patricia Herlihy
Monday, December 2, 2013
Vodka has been the staple drink in Slavic lands for at least 600 years and is inextricably bound to their culture. Clear but powerful, this distilled beverage not only supplied an alcoholic drink for celebrations, but also fueled the Russian and Soviet economies. These days, vodka is blamed for Russia's soaring death rates. So why has North America embraced this fascinating and versatile drink? And why has vodka overtaken America's own native drink, bourbon? How has vodka gone global?
Vodka distillers have packaged and pitched their product, just as consumers have come to define themselves through their choice of brands, and this packaging and branding reveals as much about vodka as it does about our own world. However vodka is drunk, whether straight, infused, flavored, or mixed, the history of vodka is a story of an old spirit transformed into the perfect postmodern drink. Mysterious in its origin, beguiling in its allure, vodka is a rising star.
Patricia Herlihy, Professor Emerita of History and currently Adjunct Professor at the Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University, is a specialist in Russian and Ukrainian history. She is the author of The Alcoholic Empire: Vodka and Politics in Late Imperial Russia (Oxford University Press), Odessa: A History, 1794-1914 (Harvard University Press), and Vodka: A Global History (Reaktion Books, 2012).
Ticket price includes vodka tasting and food prepared from vodka-inspired recipes.
Location:
Astor Center
399 Lafayette Street (at East 4th St))
New York, NY 10003
Time: 6:30 pm Check-in and reception | 7:00 pm Lecture
For more information click here.
Jeffrey Dale Starr is a vodka enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.
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