Kvass

In Russia, commercially brewed beer has only recently begun to present a serious challenge to the well-loved homemade kvass, which ranks second only to vodka as a popular libation. (In a unique nineteenth-century religious sect, it outranked even vodka. The believers were known as kvasniki, since they eschewed all drinks except kvass.)

A typical street scene in any Russian city, large or small, used to be a kvass truck parked on a shady corner, surrounded by a crowd of people eager to quench their thirst. Usually the lines were made up of male workers who seemed to be idling away the working day, but sometimes women joined the crowd, too, net bags in hand. A kvass truck’s long cylindrical tank was usually painted bright yellow, with stenciled red letters proclaiming its contents—KBAC—to the passersby. Even on gray, wintry days the tank shone like a beacon, offering good spirits to those who would imbibe, and there was never a shortage of customers. The truck was often equipped with its own glasses (cursorily rinsed in cold water after each use), but true aficionados brought their own glasses—or jugs—to fill.