Now in its third year, Kachka remains one of the country’s most singular restaurants. The Russian eatery, slotted into a cramped storefront on Portland, Ore.’s eastside, specializes in zakuski, which literally translates to “vodka snacks.” And although the bar stocks an encyclopedic list of labels, spanning from Kaliningrad to Kentucky to all points in between, co-owner Israel Morales stresses that vodka isn’t just about what’s in the bottle. It’s about sharing it with friends and food. These are his five rules for drinking vodka the Russian way.
