Eristoff Eristavi (ერისთავი). The title means ‘head of the nation’ but translates more accurately as ‘head of a military force’. By the 19th century, five noble families each representing a different part of Georgia were using the name Eristhavi. Prince Ivane Eristoff who first created Eristoff vodka in 1806 was from the northwest province of Racha. A landmark in the history of the Eristoff family and Eristoff vodka came in the late 19th century when Ivane’s great grandson, Prince Alexander Constantine Eristoff moved from Georgia to Saint Petersburg. Prince Alexander went on to enjoy a distinguished military career eventually reaching the
Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff Commissioner of Finance under Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He served in that role until 2002, earning recognition for implementing management strategies that leveraged technology and performance measurement to reduce costs, increase collections, and improve customer service. After serving briefly as Chairman of the New York [Manhattan] Republican County Committee, and an unsuccessful race for New York State Senate in 2002, Governor George Pataki appointed Eristoff Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. In September 2003, Eristoff was nominated and confirmed as Commissioner of Tax and Finance. In his role as chief executive of the second-largest