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Bolshoi in Russia: How to get women to drink more vodka

by Iva Skoch (RSS feed) on May 27th 2008 at 10:30AM

Greetings from Moscow! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means "Big" in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia this week.

I have never seen a bigger vodka selection than a vodka isle in any supermarket in Russia. There must, literally, be hundreds of vodkas to choose from. The selection ranges from bottles with generic titles, costing as little as $2, to fancy labels that will set you back hundreds. I personally, liked Russian Standard, which is really tasty when served frozen (keep the bottle in the freezer as they do here). It doesn't give you a hangover as far as I could tell. Don't try to prove me wrong, please.

Vodka, however, is a man's drink in Russia. Local demographic stats suggest that: an average Russian man has a life expectancy of only 59 years. Thanks to excessive vodka drinking, of course! Women can expect to live a full 14 years longer.

That might be a thing of the past, however. Vodka-marketers have discovered that in order to increase their sales, they must start marketing to women. That is the short story of Damskaya vodka, literally "ladies' vodka", a feminine take on the lethal clear liquor favored primarily by men. "Between us girls," is the catchphrase for this vodka, IHT reports. Needless to say, doctors are not happy about where this campaign could lead...

From Russia, with love.

Filed under: Europe, Russian Federation

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

australian_v1 May 29th 2008 4:17AM

Hi! Accidentally bumped into your reports. Cool pictures and funny descriptions!

Few comments - it`s always cold in May after hot April and they not only turn off hot water but also heating. It`s terrible for families with little kids. Summer months are less terrible with this regard.

As for traffic habbits - it`s all gonna collapse soon and Moscow will turn into one big all-city traffic jam.

Keep it up!