Goldwasser (22-carat gold liqueur)
Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen · CC BY 2.5

History

Ambroży Vermöllen, a Dutch Mennonite from De Lier, took Danzig citizenship in 1598 and began distilling the herbal liqueur that became Goldwasser. In 1704 his grandson Salomon moved production to a Breitgasse (today ul. Szeroka) house whose salmon (Lachs) sign gave the brand its Der Lachs name. Catherine the Great and Peter the Great drank it, and the recipe still ships under Der Lachs.

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Warsaw

Guided tour · 3h 30m

Warsaw: Polish Food Tour

The Polish food tour is a great way to experience a must-try cuisine of this amazing country. A professional guide will teach you all there is to...

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Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 15 minTotal 15 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle Der Lachs Original Danziger Goldwasser, well chilled
  • 100g 70 percent dark chocolate, broken
  • 200g cherries in kirsch, drained
  • 200g amaretti biscuits
  • 100g toasted hazelnuts
  • Sparkling water and ice, to set up an alternate long pour
  • 6 chilled tulip-shaped liqueur glasses
  • Edible gold leaf, to garnish (optional)

Method

  1. Chill the Goldwasser bottle upright in the fridge for 3 hours; the gold flakes hang in suspension better at 6 to 8C.
  2. Just before serving, invert the bottle slowly twice to redistribute any settled gold. Do not shake hard; that breaks the flakes.
  3. Pour 30ml of Goldwasser into each chilled tulip glass and let it settle 30 seconds so the herbal aromas open.
  4. Arrange the chocolate, cherries, amaretti and hazelnuts on a board as accompaniments; the cardamom-clove-cinnamon profile of the liqueur pairs with bitter chocolate and almond.
  5. For a long pour, top a Goldwasser shot with ice and 60ml sparkling water in a tall glass; the gold flakes catch the bubbles.
  6. Finish each glass with a flake of edible gold leaf if you like the theatre. Sip slowly; aim for 20 minutes per shot.

Tip from the editors. Do not store Goldwasser on its side; the cork seal can corrode the gold over years. Real Goldwasser is 23-carat edible gold and entirely safe to swallow.

Where to eat goldwasser (22-carat gold liqueur)

Goldwasser (22-carat gold liqueur) in Gdańsk

Goldwasser ★ 4.1

$$ PolishMain Town

Goldwasser in Gdańsk sits in a 15th-century tenement on Długie Pobrzeże, named for the liqueur first distilled in the city in 1598. Located in Main Town.

OrderDuck with red cabbage, with a glass of Original Danziger Goldwasser as the closer.

TipThe Motława-side terrace from May to September is the best seat in the room.

Directions Book

Eliksir ★ 4.8

$$$$ Tasting 350-450 $Modern PolishChef Paweł Wątor

Eliksir in Gdańsk was the first Polish restaurant awarded a Michelin Green Star, recognising the zero-waste kitchen Paweł Wątor and Mateusz Trzeciak run.

Book1 week ahead

Directions Book

Flisak '76 ★ 4.6

$$ Cocktail barUntil Sun-Thu 01:00, Fri-Sat 03:00

Flisak '76 in Gdańsk has run a Chlebnicka cocktail-bar institution since 1976, now under the third generation. At ul. Chlebnicka 9/10. Booking recommended.

TryClassic cocktails and bar snacks

TipReservations recommended after 22:00 on weekends.

Directions

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