Goldschlager is a brand of cinnamon schnapps from Switzerland that has real gold flakes floating in it. It looks kind of like a snow globe for the rich and famous.
We decided to drink this straight so we could see the gold floating in our glasses. We only took one sip because the cinnamon and the alcohol (43.5%!) are both so strong. To make it less harsh, we added Kahlua. That helped, but not enough, so we added some half and half. The end result was sweet and creamy enough to drink, but we still didn’t like it very much. And by then, we couldn’t even see the gold flakes anymore.
I know you have questions:
Are there really gold flakes in the bottle?
Yes. It’s real 24k gold, weighing about a 10th of a gram total. At today’s gold prices, it’s worth about $5. A 750 ml bottle of Goldschlager costs about $15 more than a generic bottle of cinnamon schnapps.
Why would anyone put gold flakes in a bottle of liquor?
Good question. For the novelty, I suppose. It does look cool. Or just to be decadent. I can afford to drink gold! Or, I am carefree and not bound by conventional notions of material wealth!
Is it safe to swallow gold flakes?
Yes. You can buy edible gold leaf, which is what’s in the Goldschlager. It’s also used to fancy-up desserts and other food. For example, the $1,800 “Glamburger” boasts black truffle, Kobe Wagyu beef, lobster, beluga caviar, venison, a duck egg, and an edible gold leaf.
A rumor has it that swallowing the gold flakes in Goldschlager results in microscopic cuts in the throat (or stomach, in another version) to speed absorption of alcohol so you get drunk faster. This is false according to snopes.com, which is my favorite mythbusting source. Also, it’s just plain ridiculous. Gold, especially 24k gold, is very soft, which is why it’s useful for making jewelry. It is, however, probably easy to get drunk quickly on Goldschlager (if you can stand to drink it, that is.) Maybe it’s the high alcohol content!
In fact, the gold just passes through your system and has no effect on your body.
Can you taste the gold?
Nope.
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