Danziger Goldwasser

Danziger Goldwasser (Polish: Gdańska wódka, "vodka of Gdańsk"), with Goldwasser as the registered tradename, is a strong (35% ABV) root and herbal liqueur which has been produced since at least 1598 in Danzig (Gdańsk).

The most prominent characteristic of this alcoholic beverage is small flakes of 22 or 23 karat gold suspended in it. 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.

The drink was invented by a Dutchman from De Lier, Ambrosius Vermeulen who became a citizen of Danzig on 6 July 1598. In 1704 Ambrosius' grandson Salomon Vermöllen and his brother-in-law Isaac Wed-Ling moved production to new premises located in the Breitgasse. At that time it was common for houses to use animal symbols instead of numbers, and the new factory featured a salmon (German: Lachs) on the façade; hence the naming of the brand "".

During his trip to Western Europe — the so-called Grand Embassy — Russian Tsar Peter I the Great visited the city of Danzig. He founded the official Russian consulate in Danzig and became a great lover of Danziger Goldwasser. He ordered permanent delivery of Goldwasser to Russia for himself.

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