Home-Distilled Spirit · Fermented Milk Vodka
Shimiin Arkhi (Milk Vodka)
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It isn't vodka mixed with milk — it's an actual spirit distilled entirely from fermented dairy, condensed drop by drop from simmering sour yogurt in a homemade still.
Fermented milk or yogurt is heated in a covered pot; the alcohol vapor rises, cools against a lid or coil, and drips out as a clear, mild spirit. It's traditionally served warm in a small bowl, and Arkhangai, with its abundance of milk and long airag-making tradition, is one of the regions most associated with distilling it well.
Why it's made this way: Distilling spirit from dairy rather than grain is a direct extension of Mongolia's milk-based diet, and dairy-rich Arkhangai's long-standing horse-breeding and airag tradition supports the same conditions that favor a strong milk-vodka culture.
More from Mongolia
Airag
Suutei Tsai (Salted Milk Tea)
Khorkhog / Boodog (Stone-Cooked Whole Sheep or Goat)
Tsuivan (Цуйван)
Buuz
Khuushuur
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