Russia
Consumption of surrogate alcohol is a common problem in Russia, contributing to the high rate of alcohol-related deaths in the country. During the Soviet regime, alcoholic beverages were often among the only consumer goods affordable for the general public, leading to rampant alcoholism which is still present in modern Russia. In 1985, Gorbachev instituted alcohol reform, attempting to fight widespread alcoholism by increasing prices and reducing availability. These changes, however, led to the formation of a black market for alcohol, including surrogates. The dissolution of the Soviet Union caused a further spike in alcohol prices, leading more people to cheaper surrogate alcohol.
In Venedikt Yerofeyev's 1970 samizdat novella Moscow-Petushki, the unreliable narrator shares recipes for a variety of cocktails made with surrogate alcohol.
Read more about this topic: Surrogate Alcohol
Famous quotes containing the word russia:
“To believe that Russia has got rid of the evils of capitalism takes a special kind of mind. It is the same kind of mind that believes that a Holy Roller has got rid of sin.”
—H.L. (Henry Lewis)
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“Today’s difference between Russia and the United States is that in Russia everybody takes everybody else for a spy, and in the United States everybody takes everybody else for a criminal.”
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