The idea of the museum belongs to Igor Erikovich Kekhter. “I have been studying the history of beverages for more than thirty years. As it turned out, no museum in the world told and showed the history, the culture of drinking, qualities, and recipes of Russian national beverages. I came up with five common features of Russian national drinks; if a drink meets all five, it goes on the list. Today a total of 21 drinks are presented in the museum, 7 alcoholic and 14 non-alcoholic.”
The collection consists of roughly ten thousand items (inventory process and object descriptions have not yet been finished). The collection includes items related to the production of beverages, the culture of drinking, recipes and techniques, the history of the city, and the building itself (it belonged to a core enterprise of the city): the building is 250 years old.
The museum offers guided tours and is engaged in scientific, educational, and research activities.
