HISTORY
Weaved into the mythological history of Hydra, as many legends foretell, there is always a magnificently indescribable creature which despite many outcomes, lives a long legacy within the minds of many – enemies, allies or the pure forces of nature. A beast proven difficult to defeat as the legend of Hercules 12 Labours tells, Hydra being a gigantic 9 headed water-snake-like monster with the capacity of regrowing many heads, this description could not be any more true to the brand.
“The history of Hydra is a chronicle of time that many historians tell with excitement.”
Within a mere 50km from Lerna the home of the mythical Hydra we find the beautiful and ancient island of Hydra, named after the Greek word for “Hydrea” meaning water, which was initially populated by the Dryopes, an ancient Greek tribe who brought means of stock breeding, agriculture and fishing to their people from their travels to neighbouring islands. In the mid 1600’s, the inhabitants, true to Greek nature, took to shipbuilding with the first ungainly ship reportedly built in 1657. The shipbuilding drive was benefited when a number of Hydriots were taken prisoner by the Algerian Pirates who dominated the surrounding seas. As prisoners, Hydriots were put to work in Shipyards – little did they know this was only the beginning of a fruitful adventure.
With the rudiments of more effective shipbuilding to hand, the hydriots were ransomed and returned to their beloved island – to which they began to teach the craft and use it for their own economic benefit. They began to use these ships to barter food and wine from Aegean Islands. A century later brigs were bigger, 250 tonnes worth of eastern Mediterranean commerce was being transported between many islands. London could say society gained a taste for tipples and multicultural flavours.
Although the islands commercial and naval developments were underway in the 1600’s, conflict between the Republic of Venice and Ottoman Empire during the War of Independance restricted the island’s maritime advances until 1718 (Treaty of Passarowitz). Conflict being a tragically beautiful beginning for most trades during this time, resulted in most of the spirits traded being smuggled and sold illegally, imprinting a large dent within the industry, however this often lead more so to success rather than failure. By the 18th century Hydra had become powerful and prosperous due to its highly developed commercial fleet. With the conflict between many neighbouring countries arising, such as Venice and Turkey, fleet ranges could be extended to the following: Asia Minor, Mediterranean Sea (travelling as far as Gibraltar and even the Americas), and most of Turkey. As time went by and trading grew vaster, in the 19th century Hydra had traded as far as France, Spain and across the Atlantic under various flags, thus dominating most of the overseas markets through trading cargo.
Hydra vodka is poised to be a global brand inspired by stories of human connection – spanning centuries of trade and commerce, interwoven with myth and legend, and cemented in tale and in time.