It's funny
The word vodka comes from the word water!
Nowadays, both in Russia and abroad, the word “vodka” is perceived as an independent concept, meaning “strong alcoholic drink”. However, it was not always so and in its current meaning it begins to be used somewhere in the middle of the IX century. The word “VODKA” comes from the word “VODA” wich means water in Russian and is a diminutive form of the latter.
The roots of this name should be sought in the technology of production of this drink in Russia, the main essence of which, for historical reasons such as the Byzantine tradition to dissolve any alcoholic beverage before its consumption and purely technical imperfections of equipment, was repeated distillation of grain alcohol with dilution at each stage of distillation with water, and sometimes in very large quantities.
In the second half of the XVIII century there were many varieties of vodka. Each landowner-producer had its own brand, and it was drinks of the highest quality. Many nobles considered it prestigious to have and treat vodka with flavors “all the letters of the Russian alphabet“: anise, birch, cherry, extragon, pear, melon, BlackBerry, viburnum, lemon, raspberry, mint, marigold, sea buckthorn, mountain ash, currant, caraway, dill, pistachio, horseradish, cycorny, sage, sorrel, Apple.
The drinking culture in this era was high. The main rule of any feast of that time was not to have a snack, but to drink the food.