Vodka in the Soviet Union Vodka in the Soviet Union

1970

In the late 60s - early 70s of the last century, several varieties of vodka were sold in the USSR, but the "Stolichnaya" variety was considered "folk" vodka.

The price of 0.5 liters of "Capital" at that time was 3 rubles. 07 kop. The label says "Price 2 rubles 95 k. without the cost of dishes." A half-liter bottle at that time cost 12 kopecks. Adding the price of vodka to the cost of dishes, we get 3 rubles. 07 kop. At this price, it was sold in stores.

There was also a number of drinks with a strength of 40 degrees at a price of 2 rubles. 87 kop. Some of them, for example "Chernigovskaya", had the status of "vodka", some - the status of "bitters". However, they appeared on sale relatively rarely, and those who wanted to drink "right now" could not seriously expect to buy "half a liter" cheaper than 3 rubles. "Capital" was always on sale.

1975

From 1972 to 1977, two varieties of vodka were the most accessible to the population.
One variety was called "Extra". A bottle of 0.5 liters of this vodka cost 4 rubles.

As you can see from the label, the letters "O" and "K" were located on the label a little lower than the rest of the letters and visually the word "VODKA" looked a little like the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine. Because vodka of this variety began to be popularly called "Crankshaft".

The second grade had no name, only the word "VODKA" was printed on the label. A bottle of 0.5 liters of this vodka cost 3 rubles. 62. kop. This variety was nicknamed by the people "Crankshaft".

1980

From 1977 to 1981, Russian vodka was the most popular among the people, costing 4 rubles. 42 kop. per bottle 0.5 l.

During this period, vodka "Wheat" also appeared. It cost 5 rubles. 13 kop.
Despite the fact that "Pshenichnaya" was on sale quite often (although not always, unlike "Russian"), it did not become "people's" vodka, mainly due to the fact that it was much more expensive with practically the same quality. "Russian".

The New Year holidays continue, but I can still look at vodka and eat it, so I suggest remembering Soviet vodka .. Or, more precisely, remembering Soviet vodka brands and their prices.

In those distant times, vodka was made from three types of alcohol: "Higher purification", "Lux" and "Extra". Alcohol of the "Higher Purity" was made from a mixture of grain, potatoes, sugar beet, molasses, raw sugar and some other kind of bourda in arbitrary proportions. "Lux" and "Extra" - only from grain mixed with potatoes and something else, but with varying degrees of purification. Cheap varieties of vodka were then made from “Higher Purity” alcohol, and more expensive ones from “Lux” and “Extra”, hence the difference in vodka prices.
Below are the prices in 1981-1986. in the period between the rise in price of vodka under Brezhnev in September 1981 until the next rise in price of vodka under Gorbachev in August 1986 with the cost of a bottle (the “deposit” price of dishes in 1981 rose from 12 kopecks to 20 kopecks) for a bottle of 0.5 liters . on those Soviet vodkas that I tried.
We will talk about Soviet vodka bitters and sweet tinctures, wines, cognac and beer somehow separately, but about vodka I remember (or it seems to me that I remember) that:

« Russian vodka"- before the rise in price in 1981, it cost 4 rubles. 12 kopecks, after - 5 rubles. 30 kop. The most common, massive and disgusting vodka, with a sharp and unpleasant odor and the same taste (despite all attempts to flavor this product with cinnamon). I drank from hopelessness and lack of money by drunks and students.
« Extra" And " Starorusskaya"- before the rise in price and after they cost the same, they did not differ in taste or smell from the "Russian" in any way and gradually disappeared from sale.
« Moscow special"- before the rise in price in 1981, it cost 4 rubles. 12 kopecks, after - 5 rubles. 30 kop. The oldest of the Soviet mass vodka brands (the pre-revolutionary brand was restored in the USSR in 1925). "Special" in it was the addition of baking soda and acetic acid. It was better than "Russian", but not by much, and with all other things being equal, "Moskovskaya" was chosen from these two brands.

« Stolichnaya"- before the rise in price in 1981, it cost 4 rubles. 42 kopecks, after - 6 rubles. 20 kop. In the 1930s, at the suggestion of Mikoyan, the USSR decided to expand the Soviet vodka assortment, and in 1938 the recipe for a new vodka was registered in the USSR. It was this vodka that was actively imported to the West, and if the bourgeois really wanted Soviet vodka, he took Stolichnaya, in connection with which it appeared in many Hollywood films. The quality of the export "Stolichnaya", of course, could not be compared with the internal Soviet one and was several orders of magnitude higher, but the internal one was also good. Fortress - 40% vol., but there were also variations in 37.5% vol., 45.7% vol., and even 57% vol. How this affected the price, I do not remember. I drank mostly at the festive table.
« Wheat"- before the rise in price in 1981, it cost 4 rubles. 42 kopecks, after - 6 rubles. 20 kop. Appeared in the late 70s and became a very common vodka. It was believed that it is based on wheat raw materials and has a special "wheat" softness. At first, they say, she had. But when I started drinking vodka, Pshenichnaya was already not much different from Russian, although it was more expensive. I drank when there were no others, better.
« Embassy"- before the rise in price in 1981, it cost 4 rubles. 42 kopecks, after - 6 rubles. 20 kop. Very soft and good vodka, but for some reason it was not appreciated by men. Sometimes it was purchased specifically for ladies, with the aim of their subsequent seduction.
« hunting"- before the rise in price in 1981, it cost 4 rubles. 42 kopecks, after - 6 rubles. 20 kop. I used it a little, but I remember that it was good vodka. The strength of this vodka was in several variations: it was produced with 45% vol., 51% vol., 56% vol. Rarely met, and seldom drank.

« Siberian"- before the rise in price in 1981, it cost 4 rubles. 42 kopecks, after - 6 rubles. 20 kop. With a higher strength (45% vol.) It had a very mild taste, but did not belong to the classic vodkas, not only for this reason - some kind of mineral water was used to dilute the alcohol in it. Very good vodka, and therefore also rare.
« Ukrainian gorilka" (or similar " Ancient Kiev”) - were sold in the original green square bottles of 0.75 liters, and I don’t remember the prices for them. Although they were Ukrainian, they were not much more common here than "Okhotnicheskaya" or "Siberian". They were often ordered by visiting business travelers and guests from the fraternal republics, and were taken there as a present. Their strength was also 45% by volume, and some aromatic alcohols with honey were added to them. Good vodka was also drunk mainly at the festive table.
« Stark"- imitation of the Polish starka. At first it had the inscription "Old Vodka", which later changed to "Bitter Tincture". Fortress - 43% vol. For an amateur. I was not her fan, so I do not know the price.
« Golden ring"- very expensive vodka (I don't know the exact price, but 10-15 rubles) in a cardboard box. They said that she was exported, although she met on sale. I tried it once at a party - it seemed that this was just an export version of Stolichnaya (which was also on sale in Beryozki and special distributors).

Vodka labels of the same brand differed depending on many factors: time of manufacture, place of manufacture, export option, etc. In addition, some regional distilleries of the Union Republics produced local vodka, which did not go beyond the region to trade. I wanted to post labels of Soviet vodkas, which I have never tried, but there were too many of them.

Well, and the latest mass-produced Soviet vodka "Andropovka", which was distinguished by the extreme laconism of the label: the word "Vodka" and a small-fine line of various GOST numbers there (it resembled the label of the old Soviet "Vodka" of the 70s, which in the early 80s disappeared). This vodka was introduced by Andropov when he came to power and it cost 4 rubles 70 kopecks (the price decreased from the cheapest vodka by 60 kopecks, although before that vodka prices in the Union only rose). This decline then had nothing to do with the real economy, and was pure populism aimed at winning the people's love for the new general secretary.
This vodka was the Soviet vodka hit of the 1983-1984 season, but it did not last as long as General Secretary Andropov, and died quietly during the Gorbachev era.

There is a special attitude to vodka in Russia. This is a tradition and a ritual, without it a holiday is not a holiday, and there is no hunting with fishing, but leaving the Russian bathhouse, people recall the statement attributed to Suvorov: “Sell the last trousers, and after the bath, drink.” The prices for her, "darling", have always worried our citizens, especially since they are growing steadily.

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The minimum cost of vodka in 2019

Next year, Russians are waiting for another increase in prices for strong alcohol. In 2018, the current minimum retail price of 0.5 liters of vodka is 205 rubles. The Ministry of Finance proposed to raise the minimum price tag on store shelves to 215 rubles. for vodka from 37 to 40 degrees. The increase in the MRP will affect brandy and cognac.

The department justifies the price adjustment by the fight against illegal products and a surrogate on the alcohol market. Officials also explain that the new alcohol prices are a standard measure, taking into account the level of inflation.

The minimum retail prices for alcoholic beverages were first set in Russia in 2009. The purpose of the innovation was to remove cheap counterfeit products from the market. However, experts believe that with each increase in the MRP, Russians drink less legal products and switch to surrogates and moonshine.

How much does a bottle of vodka cost in Russia

The cost of a popular national drink in the Russian Federation varies within from 205 to 2000 rubles. It directly depends on the category of food alcohol and the degree of filtration. The basis of cheap vodka is alcohol of the highest purity, which undergoes minimal filtration. The mid-price segment is produced from Extra alcohol with several degrees of purification. Expensive premium varieties are prepared according to a unique recipe from Alfa, Lux alcohol, where alcohol and water are purified in several stages.

However, the price of vodka is not always an indicator of quality. According to the Russian Quality System, which examined this product at the end of 2017, the best samples, noted by taste, color and smell experts, entered the price range from 230 to 775 rubles. Among them, vodka "Gosudarev Zakaz" (approximate cost of 255 rubles), "Pervak" (about 300 rubles), "Husky" (400 rubles), BELUGA (775 rubles) was noted.

The cost of popular brands of vodka

Beluga, which is produced at the Mariinsky Distillery, is one of the five super premium vodkas in the world and is sold in 80 countries. Exceptional taste and softness can be achieved through high-quality malt alcohol, artesian water and multiple filtration. The price for 0.7 liters starts from 1000 rubles, a gift set can cost 10,000.

The cost of the Austrian brand "Oil" starts from 2500 rubles. If they sell cheaper, it indicates a fake. An elite product is obtained due to high-quality grain and spring water.

One of the world's most popular premium brands, Finlandia, is sold in 135 countries around the world. The volume of production exceeded 3.1 million decalitres. Producers use glacial melt water and polar barley, which gives the drink a mild taste. Along with the usual product, tinctures with various flavors are produced. The price for half a liter is approximately 750 rubles, a bottle of 0.7 costs a thousand, and 1 liter costs 1400.

The volume of production of vodkas and tinctures of the Swedish brand "Absolut" last year amounted to 11.2 million deciliters. The crystal clear product is exported to 130 countries. The price is comparable to Finlandia vodka.

How much did vodka cost in the USSR

In 1961, after the monetary reform in the Soviet Union, a bottle of Moskovskaya cost 2 rub. 87 kopecks., and "Capital" - 3 rub. 12 kopecks. You could buy 40 bottles of this “folk” vodka for a salary. In the early 70s, a measure to combat drunkenness was the rise in price of a bitter drink to 3 rub. 62 kopecks. These figures are rooted in the public consciousness, they are remembered by everyone who grew up in the USSR.

In the 80s, "Russian" was popular, which cost 4 rub. 42 kopecks. for half a litre. In the era of Gorbachev's anti-alcohol reform, the cheapest vodka cost 9 rub. 10 kop., and retail sales fell by 16 billion rubles, which caused serious damage to the state budget.

Over the hundreds of years of the existence of the drink, many interesting events and facts related to it have accumulated. Here are some of them:

• in the 18th century, vodka was considered an elite drink in the world;
• in 1940, those who served in the Red Army received a ration of vodka, known as "People's Commissar's 100 g", during the war it was increased to 200 grams;
• in terms of calories, it is comparable to meat;
• in Moscow and St. Petersburg there are museums of vodka;
• under Peter I, a cast-iron medal "for drunkenness" was introduced, which weighed 6.8 kg. She was hung as a punishment on the neck of drinking people.

Vodka has been and remains a part of everyday Russian culture. We must not forget that it should be drunk in moderation and wisely.

By the way, do you remember how much wine, beer and other drinks cost in the USSR? Write in the comments!

Any change in the price of "bitter" influenced society and politics. We recalled the most famous turns in the price of alcohol in our history. Each of them can be called iconic.

"Rykovka"

In 1924, on the 10th anniversary of the introduction of Prohibition, the new Soviet state decided on a responsible but dangerous act - to allow the sale of vodka. Interesting memories of this were preserved in the then newspapers: “On the first day of the graduation of forty-degree people on the streets ... wept, kissed, hugged. They started selling it at 11 am, and by 4 pm all the shops were empty.” The cult needs folklore - the people have their own gradation of vodka dishes: "If someone needs to buy a hundred, then they ask - give a pioneer, half a bottle - a Komsomol member and a bottle - a party member." In Moscow, the sale of Soviet vodka began on October 4, 1925, on Sunday.

Queues lined up at the stores selling alcohol, as in the 90s to McDonald's. On average, they sold 2,000 bottles a day. The appearance of vodka on sale hit the industry with a butt, many workers did not go to work, and many of those who nevertheless decided on a labor feat “reached the standard” by dinner. The most popular vodka in the history of Russia was nicknamed "Rykovka" by the people, after the name of the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars Alexei Rykov. A half-liter bottle cost only a ruble. Its quality was, to put it mildly, disappointing. "Rykovka" was even called "half-Rykovskaya", insisting that Comrade Rykov himself (the people stigmatized him as a bitter drunkard) in the Kremlin drinks vodka at 60 degrees, and the people get diluted, 30 degrees. With his "vodka initiative" Alexey Rykov became a popular hero of jokes. There is, for example, this one: "Rykov got drunk after Lenin's death for two reasons: firstly, out of grief, and secondly, out of joy."

Vodka as an economic factor

In 1940, the average salary could buy 28 bottles of vodka, in 1950 - 29, in 1970 - 40. That is, a sharp decrease in the cost of "bitter" happened after Stalin's death. What happened under Stalin? Stalin understood what he was getting into when he abolished the Prohibition in 1924. In a letter to Molotov dated September 1, 1930, he wrote that a military bloc was being formed around Poland. The Secretary General wrote: "We must cast aside false shame and directly, openly go for the maximum increase in the production of vodka in order to ensure a real and serious defense of the country."

Along with the development of the vodka industry, Stalin allowed the creation of sobriety societies in Russia. And these societies began to have a serious weight, gathered thousands of rallies. Even children took to the streets with propaganda posters: “Dad, don’t drink!”, “Dad, come home sober”, “Not alcohol, but bread.” A great public outcry, which could result in the curtailment of vodka production, and as a result, cuts in the budget for the military-industrial complex, forced Stalin to close sobriety societies in the late 30s. Stalin openly used "vodka manipulation" for political purposes. Serious alcoholization was caused by the introduction of "People's Commissar's 100 grams." The front-line soldiers who returned from the fronts could no longer do without vodka on the table.

Reform and the Decembrists

In the fifties of the last century, prices for vodka ranged from 21 rubles 20 kopecks for ordinary vodka (“knot”) to 30 rubles 70 kopecks for a bottle of Stolichnaya. In 1961, a monetary reform was carried out and the price of vodka rose. Vodka "Suchok" disappeared, "Moskovskaya" began to cost 2 rubles 87 kopecks, "Stolichnaya" 3 rubles 12 kopecks. The people composed poems: “Comrade believe, she will come - the old price for vodka ...“. The previous prices, however, did not return, the bottles received foil corks with a "visor". In the future, to increase the price, decrees were no longer issued. They just produced vodka under a different “surname” and with a different price. So there were "Special", "Choice", "crankshaft", "Andropovskaya", "Russian", "Wheat" ...
It is interesting that at the same time a decree was issued according to which drunkards were imprisoned for 15 days and shaved bald. The decree was issued in December and everyone who suffered from it was teased as “Decembrists”.

More popular "Pi"

In the early 70s, the numbers 3.62 were more familiar than pi. In May 1972, a resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR "On measures to strengthen the fight against drunkenness and alcoholism" was issued. At the same time, vodka rose in price to 3 rubles 62 kopecks, only one of its varieties remained on free sale, popularly referred to as “Crankshaft” (on the label, the inscription “Vodka” was made like a crankshaft). At the same time, “bitter” began to be traded from 11 in the morning - this hour was called “Lenin’s” by wits: it turned out that if one of the commemorative rubles issued in 1970 on the 100th anniversary of the leader is attached to the watch dial, then Lenin, with his raised right hand, points exactly at 11 o'clock.

The price of vodka, the figures 3.62, have firmly entered the minds of the people, they were immortalized and works of art. For example, in Gaidai's film, the swindler Miloslavsky calls the phone number: "Additional three sixty-two."

Afghan factor

The rise in the price of vodka in the USSR in 1981 (the price rose to 5 rubles 30 kopecks) gave rise to a new round of folk art and revealed a deep relationship between alcohol and political changes.

If the vodka is five,
we will all take it.
If vodka becomes eight,
We still won't stop drinking.
Tell Ilyich -
we are ten on the shoulder!
If prices go up,
That we will do as in Poland.
If there are twenty-five
We will take the Winter again!

The rise in prices for vodka in 1981 is associated with the Afghan war. Every year, the USSR spent about 2-3 billion US dollars on the Afghan war. The Soviet Union could afford it at the peak of oil prices, which was observed in 1979-1980. However, since November 1980, oil prices began to fall sharply, the increase in the price of vodka was a necessary measure. The people did not begin to drink less, but began to spend more on alcohol, which is why the picture of “Russian drunkenness” became more and more gloomy.

"Andropovka

One of the proven ways to stay alive is to put cheap vodka into circulation. Let its price be not much lower than the previous one, but it is provided with the title of "national product". Andropovka became the famous vodka. Among the people there was another decoding of the name of the product: "Here He is, What a Kind Andropov." The price of a new bottle was 10% lower than the price of the cheapest vodka. "Andropovka" went on sale by September 1, 1983 and was first called "first-grader" or "schoolgirl". The vodka that became legendary did not last long and after two or three years, during the Gorbachev era, it quietly faded away, although it was the Soviet vodka hit of the 1983-1984 season.

Gorbachevsky peak

One of the main points of Gorbachev's program was the fight against the alcoholization of the country. There were all the prerequisites for this: the country was drinking too much. Gorbachev raised prices sharply. Andropovka, which cost 4 rubles 70 kopecks before the start of the anti-alcohol campaign, disappeared from the shelves, and since August 1986 the cheapest vodka cost 9 rubles 10 kopecks. Gorbachev's reforms damaged the Soviet budget system, as the annual retail turnover fell by an average of 16 billion rubles. The people responded very vividly to the changes. Ditties began to go: "For a week, until the second," let's bury Gorbachev. We dig up Brezhnev - we will drink as before. As the years have passed, we can say that all the advantages of the campaign, such as increasing the birth rate, have worked in the long term, and all the disadvantages have hit the country here and now. In the mid-80s, the USSR was no longer ready for the loss of 10-12% of tax revenues to the budget. In long queues for alcohol, the already low prestige of the leadership fell very low

Let's remember what alcoholic drinks we have
always stood on festive tables in the Soviet years.
Many of them have not been
are produced, but their taste is still preserved in memory.

At first I wanted to call this part in the spirit of the previous ones - "What We Drank".
But that's why I thought about it and decided that this is a little not correct :)
The first time I tried alcoholic drinks at the age of 15,
and for the first time seriously got drunk at the age of 16, on New Year's Eve. "Port wine 777".
Fortunately, I did not become addicted to the "green serpent" and still consider it evil.
If in excess. But quality vintage wines,
cognacs and viskariki occasionally respect.

I had one hobby as a child. Collected wine (vodka, cognac) labels.
Agree, quite an innocent hobby for a child. And I was just a fan.
You might find a bottle on the street, bring it home, put it in a bowl of hot water,
15 minutes - bang! and a new label in the collection. Friends (mothers) helped
- they looked for treasured bottles of the deep-Soviet period in the cellars / attics and gave them to me.
For several years, an impressive pack has accumulated
. Then the hobby suddenly disappeared, as did the collection itself. But, fortunately, she was later found.
I carefully scanned it and now I want to show you :) Labels for me -
one of the doors to childhood memories.
Soviet drawings, fonts, prices, "I belt, II belt", "Price with the cost of dishes", containers,
kilometer-long queues for wine and vodka, coupons...
Crimea, the sea and the vine, after all.

Do not be lazy, take your time, look at each label -
She has a lot to say and remember.

So what was still on our tables and in refrigerators 20-30 years ago?

I'll start with aperitifs.

The lion's share of wine production in the USSR came from the Moldavian SSR. The inscription "MOLDVINPROM"
will be found in almost every third label.

Sherries and vermouths:

And "GOSAGROPROM" - on every second :)

One of the pearls of my small collection is Hungarian vermouth.

Very popular in the 90s, live bottled beer from our native Ulyanovsk plant (R.I.P):

And this is the same Ulyanovsk plant, but still in the 80s:

The pride of our brewery!

Our plant soldered not only Ulyanovsk, but also neighbors :)

Classics of the genre!

Now this is also happening. But it's not like that anymore...

Hello from China. Their beer. This is the crazy 90s.

We are done with aperitifs, let's move on to table wines, of which there were a great many in the USSR.

Table (dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet) wines:

Guys, this is Checheningushvino! Pretty rare label.

Rkatsiteli is a popular light wine made from a highly valuable grape variety.

Greetings from Volgograd!

Azerbaijan:

Black Sea pink, with the inscription on the boat "Abrau-Durso". It looks like it was made in the same factory.

This small bottle was brought by us from my first trip to the Crimea, in 1991:

Such a small bottle of wine stood in our sideboard for a long time.
Until the wine turned to vinegar.
I have many childhood memories associated with her:

In particular, the dream of the sea began with her.

Abkhazia. By the way, the label is now reanimated and can be seen on the shelves.
This one is from those Soviet times.

Here is a modern label of Abkhazian wine:

Bulgaria has always been distinguished by expensive printing of labels.

Bulgaria 90s:

Algerian wine. I think that ordinary people did not have this on their tables:

Fortified wines:

A pack of the next two "zero" labels, the boys and I found in some basement.
Apparently, someone hid there for an underground workshop.

This one has a very uneven print. Apparently self-made. I will not believe,
that "Abrau-Durso" could afford such a hack.

Did I mention that I had my first drink at 15? I lied.
In church, they poured a whole spoonful of diluted Cahors into us children :)

Well, who does not remember the liqueur Amaretto, popular in the 90s? :)) Sold in every "lump".

Like this fortified Moldovan wine:

Remember that troubled time when alcohol could be bought anywhere,
just not in the store ... In the "lumps", "at the granny" ... Horror.

Here is something else sweet and foreign from those times. More like chocolate.

Odessa Mama!

I like these monsters: "Glavuprpischeprom GOSAGROPROM RSFSR ROSSPIRTPROM"

Probably those who worked there, always gathered for a long time with an answer to the question about the place of work.

Cossack wine:

Flavored wines:

And here even the counter-label with the cocktail recipe has been preserved:

Ports

I have always associated ortwine with something cheap and unworthy
self-respecting person. Like a triple cologne.
"Mom is anarchy, dad is a glass of port." Unfortunately,
the opinion was established with the first experience of intoxication of a strong degree,
what happened to me after the chiming clock in 1996. Bottle "777"
was destroyed almost in one gulp, for two with a friend
- hurried to friends (Vityok, if you read me, then hello). Hmm...

"Agdam" is still Soviet:

"Agdam" is no longer Soviet. And the price went up. Holiday prices....

3

And another variation:

Moldovan :)

Georgian port bag "Three bananas":

Sparkling wines (Champagne - New Year is coming soon!):

Champagne in the late 80s and early 90s, like everything else, was not easy to buy.
By some tricks they got a box or two for the wedding.
And it was even necessary to show a certificate from the registry office that it was really for the wedding.
For it’s not good to celebrate for no reason when the “dashing” are in the yard
- drink vodyaru on coupons ...
I didn't like champagne. No, not because it's not like that.
It’s just that bottles from under it were very rarely accepted.
We can say that they did not accept at all. From under vodka and beer - without ceremony.
And the champagne bottles were dead weight in the sheds and on the balconies.
Their only use is slingshot shooting. The glass is strong
did not fly apart the first time, prolonging the pleasure for the second and third hit.
And they also mixed carbide with water in them, plugged them with a native cork and ran into the "bunker".
Yes, motorists stored all sorts of liquids in them, such as solariums, oils and electrolytes. Reliable capacity.

Here they are, dear to every Soviet citizen, labels.

Made and poured everywhere.

Azerbaijan SSR:

Tolyatti:

What had no right to be called "champagne" was called "sparkling".

Abrau-Durso, the king of Soviet champagnes:

And note, one price - 6 rubles 50 kopecks with the cost of dishes. How simple and clear...

Cheap Moscow "pop" for two pee:

Imported from Bulgaria:

From Hungary:

Friends, I'm sorry, I couldn't resist :)

It is modern, "New World". I haven't tried anything better...

Strong tinctures:

End of 10th grade. We are all very adults now, we can decide for ourselves what to drink and how much :) The choice has always fallen on this:

0.5 for 10 people - cool, walk! :) Why lemon?
Apparently, on a subconscious level, they chose a compromise between childhood (lemonade) and supposedly already adult life (vodka).
The rubbish is still the same, but it was impossible to show it. And don't forget that this is 1996...

For some reason, tinctures were then made similar to lemonade. Have you attracted children? :)

The only inscription "bitter" said that it was not tasty.

Strong tincture "Zubrovka": Made on the basis of bison herb, it has a mild, slightly burning taste and aroma of bison.

And the price is already a whole red gold piece.

Cognacs:

Our parents were lucky - they could still drink normal, "not burned"
cognacs from Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Moldova.
How many kinds there were! But not everyone can afford it. More expensive than vodka by 5 rubles.

Moldavian SSR:

I found this bottle in some old cellar, half full. Naturally, the liquid was immediately drained to the ground :)
But it was someone's stash.

What is not now. Georgian cognacs:

Azerbaijani:

Cognac of the Dagestan ASSR. Produced at the Moscow Inter-Republican Winery.

Disgusting cognac drink "Strugurash": But for lack of a better one, he also went:

Vodka was as it is now - cheap and expensive.

The cheap one was almost always sold in lemonade bottles - "cheburashkas", with a lid made of thick foil, with a "tail":

Darling - in long bottles, with a screw cap:

And this is how vodka was bought in the USSR:

First they handed over the old container, then they took a new one with this money. If enough :)

"Gorbachev's loop":

If there was not enough vodka, then they took port wine. When it ended and he went to a nearby store for this:

Interestingly, the same brand of vodka could be both cheap and expensive at the same time.

I'll start with the cheap ones. This was usually paid with a tractor driver in the spring, for arable work in a summer cottage:

This was usually put on the table on ordinary holidays:

The capital was not available (in any case, with us).
Prepared on the highest purity alcohol with the addition of sugar in the amount of 0.2 g per 100 ml.

And finally, the king of vodka! Siberian:

Fortress - 45%, the price is almost like that of cognac - almost 12 rubles!
This was ordered for weddings.

Kuban tincture, with a sacramental inscription RUSSIAN VODKA.

Gin, whiskey, brandy, rum:

The fact that they usually didn’t drink in the USSR, because. did not produce. But no one canceled business trips to fraternal countries,
so you could find these drinks:
It is likely that in the "Birch" you could buy.

But this, apparently, was brought in barrels from friendly Cuba and bottled with us.

Bulgarian brandy "Sunny Beach":

By the way, it is produced with the same label to this day. Recently a friend brought it, used it :)

Scotch Whiskey!

So what do you think? :) What did they drink from it?