Presently, alcohol has become an indispensable part of local culture, whether it is in celebration or mourning. One of the reasons is the widespread availability of alcohol in the country—most grocery stores have dedicated sections just for vodka, and liquor stores can be found almost on every street corner. High-proof spirits such as vodka are available more readily in the country, and at a significantly cheaper price—costing less than USD 2 for half a pint.
Vodka is the most widely consumed drink in the country, with hundreds of distilleries dedicated to making the spirit. Mongolian vodka brands like Black Chinggis, Gold Chinggis, and Khar Suvd contain about 36 percent alcohol. Many health organisations warn against frequent consumption of high-proof drinks, so recently, there has been a push for the consumption of more traditional alcoholic beverages like Airag.
Airag is the traditional national drink of Mongolia, made by putting fermented mare milk in a cow skin bag and then beating it repeatedly. The drink has a refreshing acidic taste, and contains only two percent alcohol. It is also a good source of vitamins and minerals—one of the few alcoholic beverages in the world that has this trait to boast of, and can even be consumed by people who are lactose-intolerant. This is part of the efforts to shift attitudes towards what it means to preserve history, and at the same time alleviate the challenges the population has been facing as a result of excessive alcohol consumption.