Drink of the Week

For centuries, being banished to snowy Siberia was a fate worse than death for citizens of Russia. If you'd like to experience some authentic, icy Russian culture, without the forced labor, stop by Red Square Euro Bistro in Writer Square. On a blustery January evening, our thickly accented bartender poured shots of Moskovskaya ($4), a Russian libation that translates as "Moscow vodka." Served chilled in a frosted shot glass with a pickle slice on the side, this 80-proof poison warmed me and my comrade from the inside out, giving us the strength to sample some of Red Square's fourteen fruit- and spice-infused Siberian vodkas. I highly recommend an evening of self-imposed exile at Red Square. The outpost draws a worldly, hard-drinking crowd to its elegant, dim dining room and long wooden bar stocked with more than seventy vodkas, as well as Russian, German and Lithuanian beer. Just don't expect to feel like a million rubles the next morning.