Home-distilled grain, sugar or beet spirit. Home distilling surged during the 1914 imperial prohibition and again under Gorbachev’s 1985 anti-alcohol campaign, when sugar vanished from the shops because everyone was buying it to run a still.
Unlicensed distilling is a criminal offence in most of the world, and Russia records mass methanol poisonings from uncut or adulterated samogon most years — the cut is the entire difference.
What goes into it
- sugar, grain, potato or beet
- yeast
- water
How it is made
A sugar or grain mash is fermented for a week or two and then distilled in a home still — historically a pot and a coil, now often a bought column. The competent version is distilled twice with the head and tail cut away and then carbon-filtered; the incompetent version is not, and that is where the difference lies.
How long it takes: one to two weeks to ferment, then distilling
How it is eaten
Neat and cold in small glasses, sometimes infused with fruit, horseradish or honey afterwards.
History
Home distilling surged during the 1914 imperial prohibition and again under Gorbachev’s 1985 anti-alcohol campaign, when sugar vanished from shops.
Frequently asked questions
What is Samogon?
Samogon is a wine & spirit from Russia: home-distilled grain, sugar or beet spirit. Home distilling surged during the 1914 imperial prohibition and again under Gorbachev’s 1985 anti-alcohol campaign, when sugar vanished from shops.
How is Samogon made?
A sugar or grain mash is fermented for a week or two and then distilled in a home still — historically a pot and a coil, now often a bought column. The competent version is distilled twice with the head and tail cut away and then carbon-filtered; the incompetent version is not, and that is where the difference lies. It takes one to two weeks to ferment, then distilling.
Can I make Samogon at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Unlicensed distilling is a criminal offence in most of the world, and Russia records mass methanol poisonings from uncut or adulterated samogon most years — the cut is the entire difference.
What goes into Samogon?
Sugar, grain, potato or beet, yeast, water.
How is Samogon eaten?
Neat and cold in small glasses, sometimes infused with fruit, horseradish or honey afterwards.
