Ingredients
The vodka
- 30 mlvodka
- well chilled
- a plain clean one
The sparkling wine
- sparkling wine
- sovetskoye shampanskoye
- or any dry sparkling wine
- well chilled
- to top up
The glass
- a small tumbler
- or a champagne flute
- cold
Sometimes added
- a twist of lemon
- nothing else at all
Directions
- Arrange transport before you start. About thirty millilitres of vodka. Warm sparkling wine foams over. Chill both of them well beforehand. It should taste of nothing much.
- Chill the vodka in the freezer. It becomes thick and syrupy instead. Chill the sparkling wine thoroughly. Refrigerate it for several hours.
- Put the glass in the freezer briefly. A cold glass keeps the drink cold. Remove the foil and loosen the cage. Keep a thumb on the cork throughout. Never point the bottle at anyone.
- Hold the cork and turn the bottle. Do not turn the cork itself at all. Pour the vodka into the cold glass. That is how you keep proper track.
- Pour it in first of the two things. Top the glass up with sparkling wine. Pour it slowly down the glass side. Pour it in two stages if it climbs. Let the foam settle between them.
- Leave it exactly as it was poured. Serving it is always done at once. Serve it immediately after pouring. The fizz fades within minutes.
- Pour it out only as it is wanted. Do not pour them out in advance. Pour each one fresh as it is wanted.
Technique
- This drink is designed to be downed in one, which is genuinely how it is drunk, and it combines a spirit with a carbonated wine. Both points raise real risk: drinking fast raises blood alcohol faster than the body can process it, and carbonation speeds absorption further — a reasonably well documented effect. The combination hits harder and faster than people expect, and that surprise is where harm comes from. Know what is in the glass, count them properly, eat alongside, drink water between, and do not drive at all.
- Never freeze a bottle of sparkling wine: the freezing liquid expands and the pressure has nowhere to go, so the bottle can burst. Chill it in the refrigerator instead.
- Opening sparkling wine: keep a thumb on the cork throughout, hold the cork and turn the bottle rather than the cork, and never point it at anyone — corks fly at real speed and cause genuine eye injuries. Easing it out to a sigh rather than a bang is both safer and keeps more fizz.
Substitutions
- Any dry sparkling wine stands in for sovetskoye shampanskoye, the industrially produced Soviet sparkling wine that was cheap, plentiful and central to New Year; a sweet wine makes the drink cloying and hides the alcohol more, so dry is the better choice.
- A plain clean vodka is what is wanted rather than a flavoured one, since it should taste of little and the wine carries the flavour. Chilled in the freezer it becomes thick and syrupy, which is how it is traditionally served.
Variations
- Alcohol makes sparkling wine foam harder than it would alone, so pour it slowly down the tilted side of the glass and in two stages if it climbs, letting the foam settle between. It is not stirred at all — the pouring mixes it and stirring would kill the fizz.
- About thirty millilitres of vodka topped with wine is the usual proportion; some pour far more, which makes an already strong drink considerably stronger, and the atlas gives the modest one.
- Zakuski — small salted snacks, pickles, herring, bread — are eaten alongside and are not optional: eating slows the absorption and settles the stomach, which is genuinely why they exist. These are drunk across an evening separated by long meals and toasts rather than in quick succession, and that pacing genuinely matters.
History
A Soviet party mix named the northern lights, popular at New Year tables from the 1960s.
Frequently asked questions
What is Severnoye siyanie?
Severnoye siyanie is a cocktail from Russia: vodka topped with sparkling wine, drunk in one go at celebrations. A Soviet party mix named the northern lights, popular at New Year tables from the 1960s.
How long does Severnoye siyanie take to make?
Severnoye siyanie takes 2 minutes of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 1 glass. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Severnoye siyanie?
Yes, within limits. Any dry sparkling wine stands in for sovetskoye shampanskoye, the industrially produced Soviet sparkling wine that was cheap, plentiful and central to New Year; a sweet wine makes the drink cloying and hides the alcohol more, so dry is the better choice. A plain clean vodka is what is wanted rather than a flavoured one, since it should taste of little and the wine carries the flavour. Chilled in the freezer it becomes thick and syrupy, which is how it is traditionally served.
What is the most important thing to get right in Severnoye siyanie?
Put the glass in the freezer briefly. A cold glass keeps the drink cold. Remove the foil and loosen the cage. Keep a thumb on the cork throughout. Never point the bottle at anyone.
