Port 777, or a triple blow to the liver with an ax (8 photos)

In the evening, at night and even in the morning, drink “Three Axes” port wine

Soviet poem

About port wine, connoisseurs of alcohol and connoisseurs of fine tastes said: “What port wine is to a Russian, is not a drink at all to a Portuguese.” But ordinary Soviet mortals cared little about this. People shook out the last change from their pockets and went to the store to buy it for their loved ones - for port wine 777. In the store, the corpulent woman behind the counter took the desired drink from the shelf, which arrived weekly in large quantities from the “bins” of the devil himself, and handed it over to the shaking hands of the “suffering” . So, “His Majesty the King of Bormotukha”, affectionately referred to by the people as “Three Axes”, or strictly “Three Axes” due to the similarity of the number “7” with the image of an ax, Port 777 was a fairly strong wine-type alcoholic drink containing ethyl alcohol about 18% and sugar level about 10%.

Three Axes" was drunk in the USSR by the liter, for some it turned into an interlocutor, a symbol of youth and fun, and for others - into a constant life partner. It marked many events in the life of a Soviet person: intimate conversations with friends, the first alcoholic “experience” in life, fun parties, entrances whose walls are covered with writing to such an extent that there is no living space on them, bars and other drinking establishments, and so on.

Today, one company engaged in the production of various souvenirs and the delivery of flowers and fruits offers customers the opportunity to purchase a “Nostalgia” gift set, which includes a pack of Belomorkanal cigarettes, the Pravda newspaper, a can of sprat in tomato sauce, doctor’s sausage, and Druzhba cheese. , sweets, a bunch of onions, a string bag, wheat vodka and, of course, port 777.

That is, you understand that this famous port wine was not just a drink for having fun, it became a symbol of the life of Soviet people, a distinctive sign of a particular era. A whole epic could be written about him, but that would not be enough. Where did this “miracle” come from and why? Let's look at the pages of history.

A painfully familiar porterhouse. Origins

Well, what could a Soviet person know about the mysterious Portugal? Yes, practically nothing. Some didn’t even realize that the word “port”, which had already become native, was of Portuguese origin. And only the upper class understood the difference between that overseas drink with cognac tones and long aging and the Soviet mumbo jumbo for two rubles.

The very concept of port wine and drink came to Russia only towards the end of the 19th century; earlier, the taste of this alcohol was unfamiliar to the population of the country. The year 1879 became a landmark year for the Russian alcohol industry; this year the first port wine drink was created in Crimea according to the Portuguese recipe “Nikitskoye Strong”. Surprisingly, the wine turned out to be excellent, and later “Nikitskoye Strong” and some other excellent varieties of our ports from Magarach and Massandra gained great popularity.

In 1902, instead of names, port wines from Magarach began to be assigned numbers, starting with No. 21. These figures are the only thing that the Soviet low-grade swill inherited from the pre-revolutionary good port wines. Port wine 777, like a worm, penetrated our port winemaking and “undermined” this industry from the inside. Although to be honest, “Three Axes” port wine was not the only “root of evil”, and along with it, other similar products were responsible for frequent poisoning, terrible hangovers and headaches: ports 13, 15, 33, 72 and so on. However, none of the above products have gained as much popularity as the 777.

When the “Reds” arrived, the country was waiting for the promised “socialist paradise”; naturally, at that difficult time, producers had no time for delights in the form of high-quality vintage fortified wines. The proletariat persistently demanded “bread and circuses,” and so that “the pipes would not burn,” they were given a drink that was only vaguely reminiscent of the former Crimean product. Although, why “former”? There were then quite tolerable versions of port wines from Crimea (7-8% of the total volume). Another question is how accessible they were to the population.

So, drinks came to the aid of the entertainment-hungry population, which later became known as “ordinary port wines,” among which was port wine 777. We owe the Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan, on whose territory it was first produced, a “thank you” for the creation of “axes.” By the 30s of the last century, the situation in the country had stabilized a little, but no one was going to cancel ordinary port wines. This situation persisted throughout the Soviet period, and during the anti-alcohol campaign of the 80s, the demand for cheap port wines even increased. Therefore, Port 777 is one of the few brands that has “ruled” people who have a weakness for alcohol-containing products for decades.

What is Port 777 made from?

“What is Port 777 made from?” - consumers of ordinary port wines preferred not to ask this question. Port wine 777 composition could frighten even the most experienced “connoisseur” in the use of chatter. The recipe for making real port wine is quite complex, and the production process takes a lot of time. But Soviet masters were running out of time, and they simplified the traditional recipe in order to reduce the cost of the final product. Port wine 777 most often did not contain cognac alcohol, but ordinary grain alcohol, which served as a “fortifier” for the drink. At best, this spirit was highly purified, and sometimes even Port 777 wine could be aged a little in an oak barrel.

But in the worst case, producers took any alcohol they could get their hands on and poured grape juice (or simple grape wine) into it “from the heart.” Oak shavings were occasionally sprinkled into this “nuclear mixture” and then heated to give the drink the cognac tones for which real port is famous. However, sometimes it didn’t even come to this, and the mixture of alcohol and juice was bottled and went on sale “to the delight” of alcohol connoisseurs.

Port wines prepared in this way included fortified wines with sonorous names, such as “Agdam”, known under the nickname “Like Dame!”, “Golden”, “Solntsedar” and some others. Such drinks were popularly given funny names: “ink”, “zhuzhka”, “fence paint”, “logging” and so on.

Port 777, it must be admitted, was of slightly better quality than ordinary fortified wines. Such drinks, as a rule, were given numbers instead of names. Consumers of numbered ports, among whom was the “General” 777, were considered intellectuals, and “numbers” gained particular popularity among representatives of the creative intelligentsia during traditional gatherings in the kitchen.

Thus, one of the eyewitnesses of that time (approximately the late 60s - early 70s) recalls: “The choice of port wines was quite varied, and the prices were affordable. Drinking vermouth was considered bad form, although the difference in price was only 10 kopecks. Frequent “guests” at our table were port wines “Agdam” and “Argveta” at 1 ruble per bottle. Parents took port wine 777 for the holiday table at 2 rubles 30 kopecks per half liter. Yes, it was a glorious time!”

By the way, the price for the drink of the “middle-level” intelligentsia, port wine 777, was not so low, if you remember the average salary of an ordinary worker. Depending on the region and method of production, this “legend” of the alcohol industry cost from 2 rubles. and up to 4 rubles. 50 kopecks

It was easy to buy Port 777 in the USSR, and the “culture” of its use was quite consistent with the principle of its preparation. “As you name the ship, so it will sail,” says popular wisdom. It’s the same with the “three axes”: if in Portugal port wines were served in traditional “bell” glasses, then our main container for 777 was a faceted (or paper) glass. To this day, in the memory of people of the older generation, another real “symbol of the century” has been preserved - a folding plastic cup, soiled with the remnants of dried port wine.

In Europe, an appetizer was carefully selected for each type of port: citrus fruits, pears, apples, and so on. Port wine “Three Sevens” was produced in both red and white versions, but the difference in color had absolutely no effect on the taste. Of course, in the Union it was not customary to waste money on snacks: you scraped together enough for a bottle - and that’s good. You could eat the Three Axes port with candy, a waffle, or even a pea pod. Or better yet, straight from the throat and without a snack.

In fact, “Three Axes” couldn’t even be called a port wine. Firstly, the preparation recipe and its quality left much to be desired, and secondly, the word “port” itself is allowed to be used only in relation to Portuguese products. However, I cannot raise my hand to put the phrase port wine 777 in quotation marks, it is so firmly entrenched in the very “heart” of Soviet culture.

Today, we, spoiled connoisseurs of alcohol, are accustomed to scolding those old drinks that we disdainfully call “sport drinks.” Let it be so, but we must not forget that it was a completely different time. Historians will remember the past century based on significant events - the Soviet Union, the Cold War, the Great Patriotic War. And the people follow their symbols: the intelligentsia will dust off an old volume of Bulgakov’s works, fashionistas will put worn-out flared trousers, once considered fashionable, for home use, and men will take boxes of their favorite dominoes out of their drawers.

However, when mentioning the last century and youth, many will certainly sigh with the words “oh, young people used to have more fun” and out loud name the symbol that the whole country knew and loved - the iconic representative of the alcohol industry, the legendary port 777.