Okovita

Aquavit or okovita (from Latin aqua vitae, polish "okowita", ukrainian "okovyta") was:

an old name for vodka
a strong alcoholic drink, usually around 70-80% alcohol, of very low quality. It was usually unclear, as it was distilled with alcohol content and cheap price in mind, with little regard to taste.

It is likely that the name "vodka" (from "voda" (woda) = "water") stems from the difference between high-quality clear (and thus water-like in appearance) products and the lower-class stronger okovita. Also, the former was preferred by upper classes of the society, while peasants wanted strong intoxication for the lowest price possible.

When better distillation techniques became widespread, the cost difference between poor-quality okovita and clear drinks became smaller, and thus both the drink and the term have fallen out of use.

Okovita

See also