Russians can teach Kenyans a thing or two about drinking.
That was my conclusion at the end of the authentic Russian dinner party I attended courtesy of Aqula Vodka to test out a new entry into the vodka market – Aqula Vodka. A little over 2 years old, Aqula Vodka is promising to take the Kenyans world of drinking (and you know that’s a large world) by storm – and not because it is a hyped up party drink, but exactly because it is not overkill.
If you look on the Facebook page or website, the About page talks about bringing friends together to talk, laugh and share. Which, funnily enough, is exactly what Aqula does. It’s not a complicated drink. It blends in. It goes down smoothly (and its triple distilled, so I guess that’s the reason why?).
Russians don’t drink like Kenyans. Aqula takes the best of both of those worlds – born in Kenya but using ‘traditional Russian recipes’. There are a couple of rules you have to follow when you are drinking Russian vodka though – first of all, NO ONE says those cheesy toasts that they always do in James Bond movies. Second, empty bottles on the table is a cardinal (or Kremlin? Hehe) sin. And third, every course has a shot attached to it, both before and after; all the people at the table have to offer a toast to good health, or good sex – a popular one – or great friends; and all shots of vodka are followed with a bite of a pickle.
Now, you would imagine that that would get you staggering out the door, but the (Russian) trick to it is to eat as much food as you can and drink as much food as you can, and I promise, by personal testimony and supernatural miracle, you will walk out with your dignity and car intact.
The first course (after your shot) is borsch – Russian soup with a touch of beetroot in it that our host, Katya, made herself, because ‘no one in Kenya does borsch right yet.’ Borsch goes well with black bread, which you can find in any supermarket in Kenya. After the delicious soup – which I surprisingly liked regardless of the fact that I normally cannot stand beetroot – came a shot, of course, then the main course. The main course consists of the ‘Russian version of ugali’ called grechka, which has mushrooms in it so it was already a win for me – accompanied by ‘Russian kachumbari’ – made of red cabbage and raisins – and sides of meat and chicken. Dessert came in the form of watermelon – which, as we were informed, goes great with vodka – and strawberries. At this point, a few more toasts had been offered but we were full and our bellies happy – and yes, we did make it home after running away before doing any more liver damage…