Originally Posted by
TMOliver
While I would hardly challenge your experience, please name one US distilled/bottled Vodka from the 1950s which was made with potatoes. From "Smirnoff" on down the ladder, US vodkas from the end of Prohibition to relatively recent years were "Grain" distillates, far cheaper in the US than potato alcohol, not even a good choice for moonshiners (although I've drunk sweet potato alky).
I don't think we really have an argument here. I confirmed the grain distillation in an earlier post and the switch away from potatos. The excerpt below also confirms that vodka was here way before the 1950's. So QED for both of us.
From
http://cocktailtimes.com/dictionary/history_vodka.shtml
In the 1930s one such exile emigrated from Russia via France to the United States briningg with him the formula to one of the leading Russian makes of vodka. Through his dealings with another Russian emigre the first vodka distillery in the U.S. was set up in the 1930s. Although not particularly successful at first, this enterprise was sold on again to an entrepreneur who eventually made a hit in the 1950s with a vodka-based cocktail - the Moscow Mule.
Vodka did not see a great boom in popularity in the West until the 1960s and 1970s when many more brands were launched in the USA and the UK. The timing coincided with the cultural revolution in these countries - the 'swinging 60s.' With a more affluent younger generation and a generally more relaxed lifestyle and the emphasis on adventure and experimentation - vodka's mixability led to its huge and ever rising popularity. Vodka cocktails are almost as numerous as those of gin and are seen in the same exclusive circles and stylish bars the world over.
Here is various lore as to the origin of the martini
http://members.aol.com/zigystar/history/index.html
Note the lack of reference to Vodka. However, I still say that vodka has been in the mix since the very beginning. It is an either/or thing with gin vs. vodka, and not that the vodka was added much later as some fashion statement.
And of course, none of the links above are in the scholarly researched category.
Cheers,
M8