In the evolution of the Russian table, there is such a historically important moment as the transition in the XV-XVII centuries from "pitny" honey to vodka. Why this happened, what made the Russians replace sweet honey with bitter vodka, how this story influenced the change in the entire system of names of table drinks - this will be discussed in the proposed notes. However, we will pre-empt the consideration of this problem by presenting several important points. Until the middle of the 20th century, when only natural raw materials were used for the production of beverages, the system of names of beverages was crucially dependent on the raw materials from which the drinks were made. Raw materials for the production of beverages are associated with certain territories - climatic zones of growth and production of initial components, so many peoples have a system of names of drinks necessarily has a national flavor. Any ethnic type is more adapted to life in the area where it was formed and developed: the way of life, material culture, local food and drinks-everything plays a role. The people of a particular area are accustomed to certain types of drinks, and in some cases certain types of drinks are generally contraindicated. Thus, the peoples of the Far North have never had any grapes, honey, or grain as part of their national food - those substances from which alcoholic beverages are made. This is probably why the northern peoples are not immune to alcohol. Changes in the technology of processing primary raw materials have a decisive impact on the map of national beverages. page 72 These three components: raw materials-climate zone-technology-determine the three main semantic components in the nomenclature of beverage names. The structure of root nests and the system of compound names depend on these features. These three components are also the oldest in the general set of semantic indicators that organize the vocabulary of drinking. In the IX-XIV centuries in Rus ... Read more