The traditional New Year's Eve midnight toast in Russia is commonly made with champagne.
Russian New Year's celebrations often center on a midnight toast, when family and friends raise glasses after the Kremlin clock, the Spasskaya Tower chimes, announces the arrival of the new year. Champagne is the customary celebratory drink for this moment.
The holiday is especially important in Russia because New Year became the main winter gift-giving celebration during the Soviet period, when public Christmas observances were restricted. Many present-day customs combine older seasonal practices, Soviet-era traditions, and post-Soviet family rituals.
A typical celebration may include a decorated New Year tree, a festive meal, television programming, and the characters Ded Moroz and Snegurochka. Vodka is strongly associated with Russian drinking culture, but it is not the specific traditional answer for the midnight New Year's toast described here.