As it is known, cocktails were supposedly invented by British troops stationed in India about 150 years ago. By now, various cocktails based on almost any kind of alcoholic drinks, gain high popularity. You can easily find a thousands of recipes in any culinary book. But there are some drinks which were famous in the former Soviet Union, and now, after it's collapse, could be consigned to oblivion because for some reasons they are not served at "Hilton" or "Sheraton". Thus, some of recipes are preserved here. all of them are based on vodka or ethanol, other are out of consideration. If readers have something to add, it is cordially accepted. 1. "Ruff" A favorite cocktail among Russian drunkards and non-qualified workers. Widely used by students during money shortages. RECIPE: Precise recipe doesn't exist. Most experts agree to add ~100 ml. of vodka (cheap sorts are the best) to 500 ml. of beer and drink it slowly. But variety of ingredient's ratio is welcomed. MERITS: Fast, deep and nice intoxication. SIDE EFFECTS: Long, continuous and unbearable hangover. 2. "Trailer" Adopted by intellectuals who consider an idea to mix beer and vodka disgusting. RECIPE: 100 ml. of vodka must be drunk off "one shot" followed by 500 ml. of beer. MERITS: Same SIDE EFFECTS: Two glasses per person are required. 3. "Aurora Borealis" Cocktail of the same family used, however, for more noble purpose: to make girls drunk for further sexual use. RECIPE: Pour 50 ml. of vodka into a glass and add 100 ml. of cold champagne. Ice not necessary. MERITS: Relatively good taste and companionship. SIDE EFFECTS: Overconsumption may cause loss of ability to have sex for a while. 4. "Cranberry" Indisputable leader of ethanol-based cocktails. Primarily used for the same purpose as N.3, now is wide-spread among all classes of Russian society, especially technocratic elite. RECIPE: That's my own. Alcohol (med. grade) 500 ml, water 500 ml, cranberries 500 g, sugar 500 g. Mixture of alcohol and 200 ml. of water added to a crushed cranberries and stored for ~ 1 day. Rest of water heated and fed with sugar until saturation. Then syrup mixed with cranberries pulp and the rest of sugar is added. After 2 days, cranberries and sugar (if any) filtered out. MERITS: Very good taste. Vomitive reflex never observed. SIDE EFFECTS: Addiction achieved easily. 5. "Irish cream of miserables" If you have no money to buy real Irish Cream liquor, but want to impress ladies, that might be a solution. RECIPE: Ethanol - 200 ml, water - 300 ml, cream - 500 ml, eggs - 6, empty bottle of Irish cream - 1. Mix yolks, sugar powder and cream to make homogeneous substance. Then add ethanol-water mixture, agitate for 5 min, store in a cool, dark place for 2 days, and fill the empty bottle with the liquor. MERITS: Taste is almost same as it is for Irish cream. SIDE EFFECTS: Meanwhile, it is surrogate. Solidifies being stored in a freezer. Sometimes sugar sediment could be found. Moreover, it is impossible to reach any grade of intoxication drinking this. 6. "Aerated vodka" Good thing if you have bad mood and few money. RECIPE: Charge a siphon (for making soda water) with vodka and saturate it with carbon dioxide. Drink "free style" MERITS: You will get drunk within 20 minutes and sober up after 3 hr. SIDE EFFECTS: Although intelligence and memory disappears completely, ability of moving remains combined with impulses to make troubles. So, there is a big chance to sober up at a cop station while being explained what you had exterminated and deteriorated for the last couple of hours and how much it would cost you. 7. "On the rocks" Reportedly was invented as a counterbalance for N.6. Name and location of inventor remains unclear but he (or she) is likely to be a chemist. RECIPE: Vodka 100 ml. Dry ice 1 small piece. Put dry ice into a glass previously charged with vodka. When dry ice is consumed, drink at one aliquot. MERITS: Effects has attracted substantial interest in recent years. Most researchers agree that it is quite contrary to previous case: limbs are weakened but consciousness persisted. SIDE EFFECTS: Because temperature of this cocktail is generally below -10 -15 C, consumer may catch a cold. 8 "Supersonic" Sometimes while drinking (especially in a lab) you may face a problem: alcohol is over and nobody wants to buy more because of laziness or poverty or inability to walk or something else. In these cases, ethanol (chem. grade) is usually taken and diluted with water at calculated proportion to make 40% solution. But, some inappropriate effects are observed. A pseudochemical reaction of water and ethanol is highly exothermic therefore this solution must be prepared an a good time and stored in a freezer for at least two days. Meanwhile, a white lees or so-called flogiston appears sometimes and repels some researchers, notably females. A following procedure was invented at the Department of Chemistry, Moscow State University. RECIPE (for 1 l.) 96% ethanol - 417 ml., distilled water - 583 ml., ultrasonic generator - 1. Fill 2l. glass or flask with water and ethanol, put there ultrasonic generator and switch it on for 3-5 min. According to spectroscopic investigation, reaction is complete by this time. After that place the reaction mixture into temperature-resistant bottle and store in the dry-ice bath for 5-10 min. Then serve with various side dishes (if any). MERITS: Obvious. SIDE EFFECTS: Requires at least one person who is able to operate ultrasonic generator and keeps his mind by that time. Next morning (or, more credible, evening) you may suffer of pangs of conscience. 9. "Zukovka" It is very difficult to classify this beverage since many people are looking for adventures without reasons. RECIPE: Same as it was for #8 with one notable exception: the ultrasonic generator is replaced by one or two parcels of "Zuko" (Chile-made instant dry beverage similar to "Cool-aid"). If you never tried it yourself, there is only one close association: "Screwdriver" prepared by Pol Pot. MERITS: None. SIDE EFFECTS: According to oriental philosophy, human being consists of three bodies: physical, mental and spiritual. After several cups of this cocktail, all that bodies biased to throw up.