In fact, Russian vodka represented only $18.5 million of the $1.4 billion in U.S. vodka imports last year. Brands identified with Russia are now often produced elsewhere.

Initially, Americans greeted vodka with limited enthusiasm. Late 19 th century newspapers depicted the spirit as a foreign, exotic drink, associated primarily with Russian immigrants who brought ...

The table in the bar called Russian Style offered a tableau of Russian style old and new: As they sat down to talk business one afternoon last week, Andrei Gromtsev ordered two shots of vodka, ...

And while the drink's specific site origin is unclear — Poland and Sweden also lay claim to its invention — a Russian government policy promoted the consumption of state-manufactured vodka in ...

Russian-made vodka brands face intense backlash, with calls for boycotts spreading this week to about a dozen US states including Virginia, Oregon, Iowa and North Carolina.

The vodka's founder, Yuri Shefler, noted that he has "personally experienced persecution by Russian authorities" after Russia's Supreme Court banned the sale of the vodka in 2001. Read more ...

Most vodka sold in the U.S. is not actually from Russia. However, a popular brand does come from Ukraine.

While vodka may be inextricably linked with Russia’s identity, DISCUS, a national trade organization that represents spirits makers, says the country’s vodka exportation has sharply declined ...