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Russia's best liquid asset -- vodka
Hard liquor as hard currency
September 18, 1998
Web posted at: 1:23 p.m. EDT (1723 GMT)
MOSCOW (CNN) -- With their economy in disarray, Russians who want to keep their assets liquid are lining up to buy a product likely to hold its value against the ruble, no matter what happens next -- vodka.
"I don't even drink, I just don't want to lose out," one Moscow man told CNN after buying two cases of vodka, a drink associated with everyday Russian life just as Coca-Cola is often linked to Americans.
The surge in popularity has been noticed by the Russian government, which may try to cash in on the profits by nationalizing alcohol production. As Correspondent Steve Harrigan reports, mixing Russian vodka into the ailing economy may be just the tonic it needs.
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