Vodka in Belarus!
 

This is how they collect vodka off the trees and then fill the bottles!

http://l-pics.livejournal.com/drugoi/pic/017yh53g.jpg

I wouldn't mind planting a couple of these vodka trees in my garden

maple ssyrup from birch trees...hmmm

There's a guy in Canada who's trying to market his birch sap wine. Haven't tried it yet but I hear it tastes like turpentine.

must be a hell of work

Do they do a Smirnoff tree - Pref Black Label?

lol - I was just about to ask if they do an 'Orange' tree so I have a mixer..... Doh.....

Looks like birch syrup or how is it called, not vodka

never know you can make that from birch :)

Birch juice :pimp

:) vodka trees, funny :)

Prince Igor Vodka = OH Canada.

http://www.proof66.com/images/Prince_Igor_Vodka.jpg

oh lord... why?!

It's birch juice. Tastes like slightly sweet water.
Good for health.

This.

You can buy it in stores in Russia. Very common. Believed to be very good for your health.

Made in Russia :)

http://humorfun.ru/wp-content/uploads/x_47d3bb68.jpg

I've never seen that.

.

Full photo series:

http://translate.google.com/translat...%2Fsok&act=url

It's google translated, so the text may be terrible but pics are interesting.

Birch is some sort of National tree in Belarus. Many vodka producents uses it. I gives a special flavor to the vodka. I think that I still Have a bottle from the last time I was there. Very good stuff :) I have never seen it harvested. Maybe do a visit the next time I am in Minsk.

http://englishrussia.com/images/birch_tree_juice/1.jpg

Birch tree juice drinking and harvesting is an old tradition in Russia. The main season for this fun is spring. Tens thousands of birch trees across the country become the source for this delightful liquid, harvested mainly by kids.
Usually there are two methods of doing this. One is to make a hole in the tree body itself then put some kind of straw or pipe in the hole connected with some bottle. Usually the big wine bottle gets full of the birch tree juice from one tree overnight. Another way is to brake a branch and just insert the branch into the bottle, then tie or tape the bottle to the branch.
Russian expatriates abroad are often ask local groceries for bottled juice and very surprised when can?t get it.
Sometimes, when the spring nights are freezing, one can see his harvest place turned into this state as on those photos. Then he gets a frozen birch juice.