RUSSIA: Samogon is the name Russians give to a centuries-old tradition of home-distilled vodka now being revived to combat rising alcohol taxes.
Using barley or just about any decaying vegetable matter, Russian peasants have time and again defeated the best efforts of the authorities to stamp it out. Ivan the Terrible first outlawed the practice, not intending to wipe out vodka but to ensure a state monopoly, thus guaranteeing a massive tax windfall.
Lenin banned vodka production entirely after the 1917 revolution, hoping that a more sober population would work harder to build a communist paradise. But even his ruthless police were unable to stamp out samogon, and it was left to his successor, Stalin, to throw in the towel and reopen the distilleries.
In 1986, hoping to revive a sagging communist system, the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev once again banned vodka production.
But once again the people's will proved stronger; Gorbachev's move triggered an explosion of cheap imports, as well as sudden shortages of industrial fluids and sugar as the home distillers stocked up.
In a vast country with plenty of places to hide an illegal stash, it remains to be seen whether the latest government crackdown will fare any better.