Armenian mountains have a lot of sweet fruits growing on their slopes. Much more than the local population can consume. Therefore there was a need to preserve or somehow make use of the excess goods. Drying them is one way.
During centuries locals learned to distill the fruits at the right time and the right temperature.The result was tremendous. The alcohol that was produced not only had the taste and aroma of the fruit, but it also preserved all the positive characteristics of the fresh fruits. Apart from that, the “magic” liquid had delighting effect on the consumer.
To distill vodka people used the usual equipment consisting of the boiler, the coil and the condenser. Those are the basic components of the traditional distilling machine that have largely stayed the same despite the technological progress during the centuries. This is another proof that everything genius is simple.
Homemade vodka is much stronger than those of factory-made. They may go up to 70, 80 or even 90 percent alcohol. However, since it is homemade it does not contain foreign materials, which in turn makes it less harmful. Nevertheless, consumers must be cautious as strong vodka can cause severe, sometimes even lethal damage to internal organs.
Armenians distill their vodka from different individual fruits or sometimes they mix them to discover a special recipe. The most famous are mulberry (Tut in Armenian), cornel, grapes and figs.
The largest producers of homemade vodka in Armenia are, of course, the households in rural areas, who usually distill for their own use. However, if asked politely they will let you taste it and see how divine it really is. Other major producers are Ijevan Wine, Artsakh Brandy Company and Sisavian Wine Factory.
Wine and many other alcoholic beverages have always been used for proposing toasts. Some very promising research tells us that when you talk positively or negatively nearby water, it changes its structure becoming healthier or damaging. That is why before drinking wine it is important to propose a toast.
