Goldwasser
|
|
Danziger Goldwasser (English translation: Gold water from Gdańsk, Literally: Danzig's gold water) is the registered tradename of a strong (38%) root and herbal liqueur that has been produced since the 16th century in Gdańsk, Poland.
Goldwasser was also called Gdańska Złotówka (Gdańsk gold) or Złota Woda (Gold water). Legend has it that when King Sigismund II of Poland visited Gdańsk in 1549 on his tour of the country after his coronation, part of the Polish city authorities' homage to the newly crowned monarch was a gift of Goldwasser, and he is said to have sung the praises of the golden drink often along the rest of his route after Gdańsk.
The most prominent characteristic of this alcoholic beverage is small flakes of 22 karat gold suspended in it; alchemy, which was at its high point in the 16th century when Goldwasser appeared, believed gold to have many desirable medicinal properties. Since the flakes are extremely small and thin, the price of the product is not prohibitive.