Vodka fans find their spirits falling
Sarah Hall Friday March 29, 2002 The Guardian ---------- Oh, sweet, sweet stoli...
One thing I should have mentioned when talking about Gorbachev's unpopularity in Russia is perestroika-era prohibition, which is not looked back on fondly to say the least. "You couldn't get vodka anywhere! It was horrible!" I know people who resorted to stealing pure alcohol from chemistry labs.
There was a joke about this. One day, a fellow had been standing in line for 12 hours to get vodka. The line was enormous. He gets fed up and says, "OK, I'm going to down to the Kremlin and kill Gorbachev." He gets there and sees an even longer line. Perplexed, he asks the last guy in line what it's for. "This is the line to kill Gorbachev."
Chris Doss The Russia Journal