Voda, Lvov and Pravda Vodka: What They Are and What They Cost
Voda, Lvov and Pravda are three vodkas people ask for by name and then struggle to find anything written about. All three have names that come straight out of Russian and Polish, which is half the confusion. Here is what each one is, where it is made, what it costs, and which one to pick for what.
First, the names
- Voda is the word for water in Russian and Polish. It is also where the word vodka comes from — vodka is "little water."
- Pravda means truth. Same word in Russian; in Polish it is spelled prawda.
- Lvov is the old Russian name for the city of Lviv. The vodka itself is made in Poland.
So none of them is a place you can visit a distillery in by that name. They are brand names built on familiar words.
Voda — the cheapest good pour on the shelf
Voda is a plain grain vodka distilled in the United States, 40 percent alcohol. It is neutral, clean and a little sweet in the middle, with no burn to speak of. It is not trying to be sipped slowly out of a crystal glass. It is trying to be cold, smooth and cheap, and it is all three.
The handle works out to about $10.28 a liter — less than the Smirnoff handle at about $13.14. If you are stocking a bar for a crowd, a kiddush or a Simchas Torah table where the bottle will be finished, this is the value pick. The hechsher is printed on the bottle, so check it against your own standard. For how much is in that big bottle, see what a handle of vodka is.
Lvov — Polish potato vodka, kosher for Passover
Lvov is made from 100 percent Polish potatoes, with no grain at all. That is the whole point of it. Potato vodka is rounder and softer than grain vodka, with a faint creaminess, and because there is no grain in it, Lvov is kosher for Passover. It is one of the least expensive ways to have a real vodka on the table at Pesach.
If you like the style and want to spend more, Chopin Potato Vodka, 1L, $32.99 is the premium Polish potato bottle. We explained the difference potatoes make in what potato vodka is.
Lvov Spirytus is a different thing entirely
Same Lvov name on the label, completely different bottle. Spirytus is a rectified grain spirit at 96 percent alcohol — 192 proof, more than twice the strength of normal vodka. It is not for drinking straight. It is for making things: homemade limoncello, vanilla extract, herbal infusions. Always dilute it. It is also grain, so it is not for Pesach. For the same kind of bottle from the American side, see what proof Everclear is.
Pravda — the one for sipping
Pravda is a small-batch Polish rye vodka from the Bielsko-Biała distillery in southern Poland. It is distilled five times and filtered through Carpathian rock, and it comes out silky with a little white pepper on the finish. OU certified, 40 percent.
This is the one to pour neat and ice cold, next to herring or smoked fish, or in a martini where the vodka is the whole drink. At $32.99 for 750ml it costs about four times as much per liter as Voda. In a vodka and cranberry, nobody will notice the difference. In a frozen shot glass, you will.
Which one to buy
- A crowd, a party, a mixed drink: the Voda handle.
- Pesach, or you like a softer vodka: Lvov potato.
- Neat, cold, with food: Pravda.
- Infusions and homemade liqueurs: Lvov Spirytus, diluted.
For everything else on the shelf, see the full kosher vodka collection, and what a bottle of vodka costs for how these compare with the big names.
