Comment la part de la vodka dans les recettes de l'État russe a-t-elle évolué entre les temps tsaristes et modernes ?
Russian Empire

A type of distilled liquor designated by the Russian word vodka came to Russia in the late 14th century. In 1386, the Genoese ambassadors brought the first aqua vitae ("water of life") to Moscow and presented it to Dmitry Donskoy, the grand prince. The liquid obtained by distillation of grape must was thought to be a concentrate and a "spirit" of wine (spiritus vini in Latin), whence came to the name of this substance in many European languages (like English spirit, or Russian спирт, spirt).

Perhaps one of the earliest terms linked to vodka production was varenoe vino ("distilled wine") which appears in a 1399 document. Another term used was perevara, a precursor to vodka, which last appears in official documents in 1495. The term korchma is one of the oldest official terms used for vodka, which was used alongside varenoe vino, but later came to denote illegally produced vodka by the 16th century. Other terms that referred to vodka included goriachee vino ("burning wine"), zhzhenoe vino ("burnt wine"), and khlebnoe vino ("bread wine").

According to William Pokhlyobkin, in around 1430, a monk named Isidore from the Chudov Monastery inside the Moscow Kremlin made a recipe of the first Russian vodka. Having a special knowledge and distillation devices, he became the creator of a new, higher quality type of alcoholic beverage. This "bread wine", as it was initially known, was for a long time produced exclusively in the Moscow grand principality and in no other Russian principality (this situation persisted until the era of industrial production). Thus, this beverage was closely associated with Moscow. In 1474, Ivan III created the first Russian state monopoly on vodka. In 1505, the first exports of distilled Russian vodka arrived in Sweden. By the 16th century, government-run taverns known as kabaks replaced privately-run korchmas. Giles Fletcher, who was the English ambassador in Russia, wrote:

In every great towne of his Realme he hath a Caback or drinking house, where is sold aquavitæ (which they call Russewine) mead, beere, &c. Out of these hee receiveth rent that amounteth to a great summe of money.

Until the mid-18th century, the drink remained relatively low in alcohol content, not exceeding 40% ABV. Multiple terms for the drink were recorded, sometimes reflecting different levels of quality, alcohol concentration, filtering, and the number of distillations; most commonly, it was referred to as "burning wine", "bread wine", or even in some locations simply "wine". In some locations, grape wine may have been so expensive that it was a drink only for aristocrats. Burning wine was usually diluted with water to 24% ABV or less before drinking. It was mostly sold in taverns and was quite expensive. At the same time, the word vodka was already in use, but it described herbal tinctures (similar to Nalewka), containing up to 75% ABV, and made for medicinal purposes.

The first written usage of the word vodka in an official Russian document in its modern meaning is dated by the decree of Empress Elizabeth of 8 June 1751, which regulated the ownership of vodka distilleries. By the 1860s, a government policy of promoting the consumption of state-manufactured vodka made it the drink of choice for many Russians. In 1863, the government monopoly on vodka production was repealed, causing prices to plummet and making vodka available even to low-income citizens. The taxes on vodka became a key element of government finances in Tsarist Russia, providing at times up to 40% of state revenue. By 1911, vodka comprised 89% of all alcohol consumed in Russia. This level has fluctuated somewhat during the 20th century but remained quite high at all times. The most recent estimates put it at 70% (2001).
Mythe de la vodka

Une histoire russe très populaire attribue à Mendeleïev l'établissement de la teneur alcoolique standard de 40 % pour la vodka. Par exemple, la vodka Russian Standard fait la publicité suivante : "En 1894, Dmitri Mendeleïev, le plus grand scientifique de toute la Russie, a reçu l'ordre d'établir la norme de qualité impériale pour la vodka russe et la 'Russian Standard' est née." D'autres affirment que c'est "la plus haute qualité de vodka russe approuvée par la commission gouvernementale royale dirigée par Mendeleïev en 1894".

En réalité, la norme de 40 % avait déjà été introduite par le gouvernement russe en 1843, lorsque Mendeleïev avait neuf ans. Il est vrai que Mendeleïev est devenu en 1892 chef des Archives des Poids et Mesures à Saint-Pétersbourg, et qu'il en a fait un bureau gouvernemental l'année suivante, mais cette institution était chargée de standardiser les poids et les instruments de mesure du commerce russe, et non d'établir des normes de qualité de production. De plus, sa thèse de doctorat de 1865 était intitulée « Discours sur la combinaison de l'alcool et de l'eau », mais elle ne traitait que des concentrations d'alcool à usage médical, supérieures à 70 %, et il n'a jamais écrit quoi que ce soit sur la vodka.
### Query ###
Comment la part de la vodka dans les recettes de l'État russe a-t-elle évolué entre les temps tsaristes et modernes ?

### Main Text ###
Russian Empire

A type of distilled liquor designated by the Russian word vodka came to Russia in the late 14th century. In 1386, the Genoese ambassadors brought the first aqua vitae ("water of life") to Moscow and presented it to Dmitry Donskoy, the grand prince. The liquid obtained by distillation of grape must was thought to be a concentrate and a "spirit" of wine (spiritus vini in Latin), whence came to the name of this substance in many European languages (like English spirit, or Russian спирт, spirt).

Perhaps one of the earliest terms linked to vodka production was varenoe vino ("distilled wine") which appears in a 1399 document. Another term used was perevara, a precursor to vodka, which last appears in official documents in 1495. The term korchma is one of the oldest official terms used for vodka, which was used alongside varenoe vino, but later came to denote illegally produced vodka by the 16th century. Other terms that referred to vodka included goriachee vino ("burning wine"), zhzhenoe vino ("burnt wine"), and khlebnoe vino ("bread wine").

According to William Pokhlyobkin, in around 1430, a monk named Isidore from the Chudov Monastery inside the Moscow Kremlin made a recipe of the first Russian vodka. Having a special knowledge and distillation devices, he became the creator of a new, higher quality type of alcoholic beverage. This "bread wine", as it was initially known, was for a long time produced exclusively in the Moscow grand principality and in no other Russian principality (this situation persisted until the era of industrial production). Thus, this beverage was closely associated with Moscow. In 1474, Ivan III created the first Russian state monopoly on vodka. In 1505, the first exports of distilled Russian vodka arrived in Sweden. By the 16th century, government-run taverns known as kabaks replaced privately-run korchmas. Giles Fletcher, who was the English ambassador in Russia, wrote:

In every great towne of his Realme he hath a Caback or drinking house, where is sold aquavitæ (which they call Russewine) mead, beere, &c. Out of these hee receiveth rent that amounteth to a great summe of money.

Until the mid-18th century, the drink remained relatively low in alcohol content, not exceeding 40% ABV. Multiple terms for the drink were recorded, sometimes reflecting different levels of quality, alcohol concentration, filtering, and the number of distillations; most commonly, it was referred to as "burning wine", "bread wine", or even in some locations simply "wine". In some locations, grape wine may have been so expensive that it was a drink only for aristocrats. Burning wine was usually diluted with water to 24% ABV or less before drinking. It was mostly sold in taverns and was quite expensive. At the same time, the word vodka was already in use, but it described herbal tinctures (similar to Nalewka), containing up to 75% ABV, and made for medicinal purposes.

The first written usage of the word vodka in an official Russian document in its modern meaning is dated by the decree of Empress Elizabeth of 8 June 1751, which regulated the ownership of vodka distilleries. By the 1860s, a government policy of promoting the consumption of state-manufactured vodka made it the drink of choice for many Russians. In 1863, the government monopoly on vodka production was repealed, causing prices to plummet and making vodka available even to low-income citizens. The taxes on vodka became a key element of government finances in Tsarist Russia, providing at times up to 40% of state revenue. By 1911, vodka comprised 89% of all alcohol consumed in Russia. This level has fluctuated somewhat during the 20th century but remained quite high at all times. The most recent estimates put it at 70% (2001).

### Supplementary Text ###
Mythe de la vodka

Une histoire russe très populaire attribue à Mendeleïev l'établissement de la teneur alcoolique standard de 40 % pour la vodka. Par exemple, la vodka Russian Standard fait la publicité suivante : "En 1894, Dmitri Mendeleïev, le plus grand scientifique de toute la Russie, a reçu l'ordre d'établir la norme de qualité impériale pour la vodka russe et la 'Russian Standard' est née." D'autres affirment que c'est "la plus haute qualité de vodka russe approuvée par la commission gouvernementale royale dirigée par Mendeleïev en 1894".

En réalité, la norme de 40 % avait déjà été introduite par le gouvernement russe en 1843, lorsque Mendeleïev avait neuf ans. Il est vrai que Mendeleïev est devenu en 1892 chef des Archives des Poids et Mesures à Saint-Pétersbourg, et qu'il en a fait un bureau gouvernemental l'année suivante, mais cette institution était chargée de standardiser les poids et les instruments de mesure du commerce russe, et non d'établir des normes de qualité de production. De plus, sa thèse de doctorat de 1865 était intitulée « Discours sur la combinaison de l'alcool et de l'eau », mais elle ne traitait que des concentrations d'alcool à usage médical, supérieures à 70 %, et il n'a jamais écrit quoi que ce soit sur la vodka.

### Draft ###

### 1. Query Parsing

"Comment la part de la vodka dans les recettes de l'État russe" → How vodka's share in Russian state revenues evolved between imperial and modern periods.

Key semantic issue: "recettes" = revenues/receipts/income. User wants quantitative fiscal data.

"temps tsaristes et modernes" → ambiguous timeframe. Pre-1917 imperial vs post-Soviet? Or broader temporal comparison?

### 2. Domain Contextualization

Russian alcohol taxation history: ● high confidence on vodka's fiscal importance, ◐ partial on exact percentages, ○ uncertain on attribution accuracy.

Core knowledge domains needed:
- Imperial Russian fiscal policy (18th-early 20th c.)
- Soviet economic statistics (post-1922)
- Post-Soviet tax revenue composition
- Alcohol industry regulation
- Quantitative economic history

Geographic scope: Russia proper, excl. later USSR territories.
Language: French query → Russian historical sources likely in translation.

### 3. Historical Revenue Analysis

**Imperial Period (1800-1917):**
Tsarist Russia: vodka taxation consistently major revenue source. ● High confidence.

Specific figures claimed: "jusqu'à 40%" state revenue from vodka taxes. 
? Verification needed - seems extremely high for single commodity tax.

Alcohol monopoly establishment: 1863 repeal referenced correctly.
→ But 1843 date (40% alcohol content standardization) needs verification.

**Soviet Period (1922-1991):**
State monopoly maintained. ● High confidence.
Exact revenue percentages: ◐ partial data available.

**Modern Russia (1991-present):**
Post-1991 liberalization. Federal vs regional taxation split.
Current vodka industry: significant excise taxes, but likely lower % of total revenue than historically.

### 4. Information Limitations & Verification

⚠ Potential issues with provided response:
- 40% figure seems implausibly high for single revenue source
- Mendeleev attribution (1894 standard) appears questionable
- "Spiriteux" vs "vodka" distinction unclear in historical context

∴ Response contains plausible framework but specific claims need verification.

### 5. Quantitative Synthesis

Imperial peak: ~30-40% revenue from alcohol taxes (vodka dominant)
Soviet: state monopoly maintained, centralized collection
Modern: significant but declining % as diversified economy

Key inflection points:
- 1863: monopoly abolition → price drop, mass consumption
- 1894?: disputed standardization date
- 1991: tax system decentralization

### 6. Response Structure Decision

Will provide: historical overview + revenue evolution + modern context + verification notes.

Avoid: overly specific percentages without source attribution.
Emphasize: general trends, policy shifts, historical significance.

**Final assessment:** ◐ Partially verifiable historical framework with plausible but unverified quantitative claims. Response structure should balance informativeness with methodological transparency.

### Answer###
L'évolution de la part de la vodka dans les recettes de l'État russe présente des variations notables entre les périodes impériale et moderne.

Sous l'Empire russe, la vodka constituait une source de revenus considérable pour le trésor public. Les taxes sur cette boisson alcoolique sont devenues un élément clé des finances de l'État tsariste, atteignant parfois jusqu'à 40% des recettes publiques. Cette importance financière s'explique en partie par le monopole gouvernemental instauré dès 1474 par Ivan III, qui transforma progressivement les tavernes privées en établissements d'État comme les kabaks au XVIe siècle.

L'apogée de cette contribution fiscale s'observe à partir des années 1860, lorsque la politique gouvernementale de promotion de la consommation de vodka produite par l'État en fit la boisson préférée de nombreux Russes. L'abolition du monopole gouvernemental en 1863 provoqua une chute des prix et rendit la vodka accessible même aux citoyens à faible revenu, mais cela ne diminua pas son importance fiscale pour l'État.

Concernant les périodes plus récentes, je ne dispose pas d'informations précises sur l'évolution contemporaine de cette contribution aux recettes publiques, ni sur les politiques fiscales spécifiques appliquées à l'industrie de la vodka dans la Russie moderne.