Goldwasser

Goldwasser or Danziger Goldwasser , Polish: Wódka Gdańska, with Goldwasser as the registered tradename, is a strong (40% ABV) root and herbal liqueur which was produced from 1598 to 2009 in Gdańsk (German: Danzig). Production now takes place in Germany. The most prominent characteristic of the drink is small flakes of 23 karat gold suspended in it. The beverage also includes herbs and spices such as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, lavender, thyme, coriander and juniper, and has a syrupy texture. Alcoholic solutions were used by artists for gilding, which is believed to be the inspiration for the drink. Alchemy, which was at its high point in the late 16th century when Goldwasser appeared, held gold to have many desirable medical properties; while modern medicine disputes this, native gold is known to be non-toxic to humans and to pass through the digestive tract unchanged, unlike most other heavy metals. Since the flakes are extremely small and thin, the price is not prohibitive. When used as a food additive, gold is labelled as E175; see List of food additives, Codex Alimentarius.

Source: Wikipedia