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Among the Nanai of the Siberian Far East, the use of vodka used to change depending on the rites: sometimes intended for the spirits, mostly with the help of the shaman, during the funerary rites, the commemorations for the dead, or the fishing rites, sometimes an object of exchange, for marriage rites, vodka emphasized the religious specialist’s control of himself, brought peace with the spirits and confirmed social status. In the modern context, as the Nanai have become russianized and have stopped performing their public rituals, the symbolism of alcohol consumption has shifted, now entering private life, and even constitutes a target in the implantation of new religious movements. The analysis of the usage of libations followed by the comparison of its perception today allows us to show how alcohol consumption has been linked to what has survived in the shamanistic practices since the disappearance of shamans, while being also related to the definition of alcohol by the culturally dominating Russian group.