Smirnoff Vodka has been around forever, but it's my new drink of the 2007 summer! The fun fruity flavors go down smooth and sweet, and before you know it, a whole bottle is gone and you've contributed to recycling.

And, vodka just isn't for drinking anymore. Thanks to Rachel Ray, I found out that you can put a small amount of vodka on a paper towel, and it removes the sticky residue that price stickers leaves behind. Flavored vodka works as well!

So, enough household tips. Find out the history of the Smirnoff family, and then check out the fun recipes below! Happy drinking!!!

1820's - PA Smirnoff's family leaves farming to work in Moscow, buying and selling wines and spirits
1831 - Piort Arseneevich Smirnoff (Vladimir's father) is born in Moscow
1859 - PA Smirnoff starts working as an assistant at his father's wine cellar
1860 - PA Smirnoff establishes his own distillery and begins producing vodka.
1875 - Vladimir, PA Smirnoff's third son, is born on the 7th of February
1886 - PA Smirnoff is named "Purveyor to the Imperial Court" four different occasions
1891 - Smirnoff vodka is mentioned in 'The Dual', a short story written by his acquaintance Anton Chekhov
1894 - The beginning of the end: The Russian government begins banning private enterprise and starts producing it's own Vodka
1897 - Cementing his reputation as a vodka maker to royalty, PA Smirnoff is named Purveyor to Oscar II, king of Sweden and Norway
1898 - Piort Arseneevich Smirnoff passes away, retiring to the big distillery in the sky
1918 - The end of the end: Smirnoff vodka is nationalized and Vladimir is declared an 'enemy of the people'.
1919 - Vladimir Smirnoff, now a fugitive, joins the White Army and is captured in a firefight following an ambush.
1923 - After escaping execution, Vladimir crisscrosses Europe trying to revive Smirnoff vodka. He and his vodka finally find a home in France.
1934 - After a jump across the pond, production of Smirnoff vodka begins in the USA.
1941 - The Moscow Mule, a balanced mix of ginger beer and Smirnoff vodka, is born in Los Angeles.
1962 - Smirnoff makes its movie debut when it's seen as James Bond's cocktail of choice in 'Dr. No'. Shaken, not stirred, of course.
2003 - Smirnoff No. 21 wins the Gold Medal at the World Spirits Competition in San Francisco.
2005 - In a blind taste-test of 21 vodka brands, 'The New York Times' names Smirnoff their 'hands-down favorite'.
Today - Smirnoff is both the number one premium spirit brand and vodka in the world. It's available in over 130 countries and is still made following the traditions of PA Smirnoff from almost 125 years ago. Cheers!