On Vodka and Staying Sober

Came across this interesting post and thought it was worth a look. The Russian Blog examines how one might consume vast quantities of vodka and, I kid you not, stay sober. How might one pull of this impressive feat? Well, only a Russian would profess to know the answer. Russians, as you probably know, are ample consumers of the grain beverage, and it is widely experienced by travelers to Russia that when a bottle of vodka is opened, it must be finished by attending parties before they can leave the table. That is not, it would seem, a recipe for sobriety. So how world one accomplish this? Well, here are a few of the tips offered by the Russia blog:

One hour before the party.

1. Eat a couple of boiled potatoes.
2. Drinks one or two raw eggs.
3. Drink one or two table-spoons of olive oil. Sunflower oil will also do.
Thus it’s guaranteed that at the Russian party you will stay sober for at least one bottle of vodka. I’m not kidding. Raw eggs are the most important part of Russian pre-party preparations.

At the party.

1. If you start drinking vodka – drink only vodka. No beer or wine. No water or juice. Carbonated drinks are taboo.
2. Drink vodka only in shots. Never sip.
3. Eat immediately after taking a shot. Russian zakuskis are often translated as appetizers. That’s not quite correct. Zakuskis are something you ‘zakusyvayesh’ with after taking a shot of vodka. They are very important to neutralize alcohol. That’s why they all contain two most important alcohol neutralizers – acid and salt.

This is just a, um, taste, or a shot, you might say, of the advice proferred here. It is worth a read if just to steel yourself for your own alcohol consumptin this holiday season. Anyone who tries these methods, well, we'd love to hear how well they work. Prosit!

(via Gothamist)

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