Docs Not Toasting Ladies' Vodka

A made-for-women vodka touted as the perfect salad accompaniment has sobered Russian doctors, who fear high-end spirits like "Ladies" will only worsen already-high rates of alcoholism, Reuters reports. Estimates peg 10 percent of Russia's 142 million citizens as alcoholics, and the chief of one rehab center says 60% of his clients are women.

"Women need a drink of their own," the vodka's maker said. "In Moscow, there are pink taxis for ladies, there are light cigarettes. But there was no vodka, and we asked ourselves: 'Why?'" Ladies—Damskaya in Russian—launched in December and retails in upscale shops for about $12.50; it is also available in lime, vanilla, and almond flavors. (More alcoholism stories.)