Vodka, along with Moscow's Red Square, lays claim to many Russians' hearts.

Vodka, like most alcohols, originally served a medicinal purpose. Today’s vodka has as much to do with medicine as Doctor Zhivago, but this centuries-old favorite was successfully transplanted to America and has enjoyed a resurgence in cocktail bars across the world.

It's a good time to say da (yes) to the charms of vodka.

There is still some debate if Russia or Poland can lay claim to the title of "originator of vodka." One thing is for sure, the word vodka comes from the Russian phrase zhizennia voda, which means "water of life." Vodka can also be literally translated as "dear little water." It apparently was dear to Catherine the Great's heart, and the Russian empress reportedly sent it to French philosopher Voltaire and Prussia's Frederick the Great with whom she corresponded.

According to standards developed in the late 1800s by chemist Dmitri Mendeleyev, creator of the first periodic table, the classic Russian vodka must contain 40 percent of spirits (80 proof), be clear and colorless, and have a slight flavor. Grain, potatoes, sugar beet molasses are usually the fermented substances that along with distilled water bring vodka to life.

Vodka found its way to the United States after World War I but did not gain popularity until the 1940s, when legend has it a bartender at the Cock 'n' Bull Tavern in Los Angeles and a liquor distributor mixed vodka with ginger beer, creating the first Moscow Mule. This vodka cocktail led to other creations like the Screwdriver (vodka and orange juice), and soon vodka creations could be found in bars across the nation.

Vodka now leads in spirits sales in the United States. Most bars stock more than one brand and flavor of vodka. Smirnoff remains the most popular domestic brand, and Sweden's Absolut has staked its claim as the top imported vodka. Stolichnaya retains bragging rights as the most popular Russian vodka in the world.

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