Following the hit TV show Chernobyl, scientists developed vodka from crops from this infamous danger zone.

We're not sure what to think, but here it is - Atomik vodka. It's a new spirit that comes from crops grown in Chernobyl's exclusion zone.

Is Atomik safe to drink?

A team of British scientists worked alongside colleagues in Ukraine to produce the vodka, made with grain and water from the abandoned region, on a farm near the 1986 nuclear disaster site.

Prof. Jim Smith of the University of Portsmouth says that this product was put on excessive testing and is free of radioactivity.

Furthermore, according to the UK-Ukraine team, this vodka is 'possibly the most important bottle of spirits in the world.'

The plan is to revive the economy in this part of Ukraine, and prof. Smith claims that 75 percent of all profits from this vodka will go back to the area.

He adds:

"I think this is the most important bottle of spirits in the world because it could help the economic recovery of communities living in and around the abandoned areas."

"Many thousands of people are still living in the Zone of Obligatory Resettlement where new investment and use of agricultural land is still forbidden."

The original grain was distilled, making the radioactivity drop. All that's left in the alcohol was 'natural Carbon-14' - the same level as you'd find in any bottle of alcoholic beverage.

Brighter future for the secluded area

This is one of many projects in an attempt to use all Ukrainian sources for an economic development.

Professor Smith said:

"Thirty-three years on, many abandoned areas could now be used to grow crops safely without the need for distillation."

"We aim to make a high-value product to support the economic development of areas outside the main Exclusion Zone where radiation isn't now a significant health risk."

The idea got support from the State Agency of Ukraine for Exclusion Zone Management.

The first deputy head Oleg Nasvit stated:

"We welcome this initiative to use abandoned lands to help local communities. We must do everything we can to support the restoration of normal life in these areas whilst always putting safety first."

"I'd call this a high-quality moonshine - it isn't typical of a more highly purified vodka, but has the flavor of the grain from our original Ukrainian distillation methods - I like it."

The Chernobyl Spirit Company hopes that this is a beginning of a new era for Chernobyl. This area is rather popular among tourists. Yet we would feel safer drinking Atomik vodka, not exploring the abandoned playgrounds, and reliving the biggest nuclear accident ever.

.