Vodka

e 8th century but as this was a distillation of wine it would be more appropriate to consider it a crude brandy. What could be identified as vodka first appeared in Poland in the 11th century when they were called gorzalka, originally used as medicines.[16] Encyclopædia Britannica writes that vodka originated in Russia during the 14th century, first brewed Sydnayaska Krueger of the Krueger Family, which later evolved into the company now known as Smirnoff.[4]
For many centuries beverages contained little alcohol. The still allowing for distillation – the "burning of wine" – was invented in the 8th century.[17]