Russia’s connection with vodka goes back a long way, possibly as far as the 12th century. Vodka is one vice that was common among royalty and peasantry alike; and while various czars over the centuries tried to limit or ban the spirit (despite the fact that most of them drank it themselves), all failed miserably. By the 18th century, vodka was not only legal but a big moneymaker for the aristocracy, which controlled the distilleries. The Bolshevik Revolution drove the distillers out along with the rest of the …