Marketing these days is often based not on what is in a product, but rather on what it doesn’t contain. Labels scream no cholesterol, no trans fats, no gluten, no BPA, no phthalates, no parabens and the ultimate absurdity, no chemicals. Smirnoff vodka, however, is going against this trend with the introduction of Smirnoff Gold that has a hint of cinnamon flavouring and floating flakes of pure gold. The thin slivers of gold stay dispersed through the beverage, give the product a luxurious image and draw attention to the bottle on the shelf. No health claim of any kind is made but Smirnoff promises that the cinnamon flavor is all the better due to the edible gold leaf. That is highly questionable since gold has no taste and is essentially insoluble in alcohol. It adds glitter but nothing else.
No worry about consuming the gold though, it is indeed edible and has been eaten since the days of the ancient Egyptians when it was thought to purify the body, mind and spirit. In Elizabethan England, the wealthy served meals decorated with gold leaf, and in Italy desserts decorated with gold were supposed to ward off heart disease. Alchemists searched for elixirs made of drinkable gold that would supposedly restore youth and rid the body of disease. The hope was that since gold was the eternal metal, not subject to aging in any fashion, it would transfer its anti-aging properties to whoever consumed it. They weren’t totally on the wrong track because in the twentieth century some compounds of gold were shown to have an effect on easing the pain of arthritis. Drinking Smirnoff Gold vodka may ease the pain of arthritis, but not because of the presence of any gold. Alcohol can distract from pain.
This is not the first alcoholic beverage to feature the inclusion of gold. Danziger Goldwasser, a German root and herbal liqueur which has been produced since at least 1598 features gold flakes, as does Goldschläger, a Swiss cinnamon schnapps. The name comes from the German for "gold beater," referring to the profession of beating bars of gold into micrometer-thin sheets. There is no truth to the rumour that the gold flakes are added to the beverage to make tiny cuts in the throat for quicker absorption of alcohol. The flakes are way too thin to have any such effect. So you don’t have to worry about eating the world’s most expensive pizza at Margo’s Pizzeria in Malta where a pie decorated with gold goes for about $400 U.S.
But if you really want to go on a spending spree, seek out the 666 Burger food truck in New York where for $666 you can purchase a foie gras-stuffed Kobe patty covered in Gruyere cheese that’s been melted with champagne steam and topped with lobster, truffles, caviar, and a BBQ sauce made with Kopi Luwak coffee beans that have been pooped out the Asian palm civet. The whole thing is then served in a gold-leaf wrapper. Basically it is a sarcastic comment on the super expensive burgers available in some restaurants. So far people are not lining up for the golden burger, but the food truck sure got some golden publicity.
