It's Monday and the tide is indeed high but I'm holding on. it was friend's birthday last weekend and they'd organised for their friends to all get together and have a meal in a local Russian restuarant. Nice food but very expensive. £18 for reindeer steaks! Anyway the beer was unpronouncable and strong, the wine from France and the menu incomprehensible. The waitresses spoke little English and all looked like girls you might have seen in dodgy porn, or so i was told.

There was a whole seperate page in the menu for the vodka list which reminded me of Beautiful Days and the flavoured vodkas, however these were vodkas made from various things and a more savoury palatte the most sweet being vanilla. My favourite was one off the specials board an unpronouncable at a weighty 79.9% proof.

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VODKA

prices shown are for 25ml and 50ml shots

HOUSE VODKA :

Kalinska (United Kingdom)) 37.5abv 2.00 / 3.00

CLEAR VODKAS

Stolichnaya Red Label (Russia) 40abv, 2.40 / 3.40

perhaps the most famous name

Stolichnaya Blue Label (Russia) 50abv, 2.50 / 3.50

a stronger version

Stolichnaya Gold (Russia) 40abv, 2.50 / 3.50

higher quality than regular red label

Krepkaya (Russia) 56abv, 2.50 / 3.50

a strong grain vodka

Siberskaya (Russia) 42abv, 2.40 / 3.40

filtered through wild birch charcoal

Zytnia (Poland) 40abv 2.40 / 3.40

the purist Polish vodka

Impuls (Poland) 40abv, 2.40 / 3.40

made from purified potato spirits

FLAVOURED VODKAS

Pertsovka (Russia) 35abv, 2.40 / 3.40

pepper flavoured

Starka (Russia) 43abv, 2.40 / 3.40

apple and pear tree leaves plus brandy & port

Walts Boston Citrus (Russia), 40abv, 2.40 / 3.40

lemon and citrus

Zubrovka Russian (Russia) 40abv, 2.40 / 3.40

infused with bison grass

Stolichnaya Orange (Russia) 37.5abv, 2.40 / 3.40

orange

Stolichnaya Raspberry (Russia) 37.5abv, 2.40 / 3.40

raspberry

Stolichnaya Strawberry (Russia) 37.5abv, 2.40 / 3.40

strawberry

Stolichnaya Vanilla (Russia) 37.5abv, 2.40 / 3.40

vanilla

Stara Ckaska (Russia) 40abv 2.40 / 3.40

flower honey & red hot pepper

Wisniowka (Poland) 40abv, 2.40 / 3.40

cherry

Wyborova peach (Poland) 38abv, 2.30 / 3.20

peach

Walts Bosto Blackcurrant (Russia) 40abv, 2.40 / 3.40

blackcurrant

Walts Boston Cranberry (Russia) 40abv, 2.40 / 3.40

blackcurrant flavoured fruit vodka

Kuzmeh Banya (Russia) 40abv, 2.40/3.40

honey and birch leaves

Okhotnnichaya (Russia) 45abv, 2.40 / 3.40

spicy flavoured hunters vodka

Gold Wasser (Poland) 40abv, 2.50 / 3.50

herbs and spices & natural gold leaf flakes

Jonogu (Latvia) 38abv, 2.30 / 3.20

redcurrant

We usually have two or three guest vodkas listed on the blackboards

RUSSIAN VODKA DRINKING TRADITIONS

1. No Martini ! Russians have their vodka neat never mixing it with other drinks

2. No Ice. Russians serve vodka cool, and drink from special glasses without ice

3. With Zakuski. Russians don’t drink vodka before or after meals but during,

particularly with Zakuski (Appetisers)

4. With toasts. Russians drink vodka on any occasion but always preceded by a

toast

5. Often, much and for long. Russians drink vodka profusely, for many hours

We won’t insist you abide by rule 5 but try the others to get the true feel of Russian

drinking traditions.

I left very mashed! Having to hide out in a doorway while it lashed it down as i had no coat.

The next morning we were off to visit my 98 year old grandmother in Cornwall and took her to lunch in nearby Boscastle at the Old Manor as we don't do the Cobweb anymore cos of the steps:

I couldn't face a pint, i was so broken but managed to survive. It was difficult for both of us as it was where my dad used to visit often and everywhere we looked reminded us of him.

However, if i thought I felt rough yesterday, it's not a patch on today. I feel like the tide is going out within me, as the vodka effects slip away. My body feels battered, my fingers feel like i have arthritis as i type and I'm suffering waves of depression where i just want to collapse. My head keeps having intense flashes of agony and my limbs all alternate between aching and numb! Now I'm fairly used to hangovers - but this is savage! If you see vodka at 80% proof take my advice don't take more than a few shots.