Just in time for the upcoming holiday celebrations, Smirnoff has released a cool new take on edible gold, Smirnoff Gold – a cinnamon flavored vodka with flakes of edible 23k gold.
Swanky, gold-sprinkled liquor isn’t a new idea. Diageo, Smirnoff’s parent company, is the former owner of Goldschläger – a cinnamon flavored schnapps (that we’ve written about before). But the cinnamon flavoring and gold flakes are where the similarities between the two liquors end. Firstly, one is a vodka and the other is a schnapps. Secondly, Smirnoff Gold uses “unique technology” to keep the gold flakes perpetually suspended in the liquor – which gives it a great presentation whether it’s just sitting on a shelf, or in a cocktail glass. Goldschläger on the other hand, needs to be stirred to kick up the gold flakes. Diageo also claims that the cinnamon flavoring of Gold is “lighter on the palate than that of Goldschlager.”
Drinking Smirnoff Gold as a shot seems to miss the point of having a liquor with so much eye appeal. Plus, the “unique technology” that keeps the gold flakes suspended give the vodka a viscous quality. We haven’t tried it, but viscous vodka shots sound a lot like hand sanitizer, which can’t be appetizing. What would be a good mixer? Smirnoff recommends its “Apple Bite” pre-mix – a blend of vodka, lemonade, and apple juice. That’s sounds like a drinkable apple pie, which beats hand sanitizer any day.
Smirnoff Gold retails for around $40 or so. Assuming it uses the same amount of gold flakes as Goldschläger, there’s maybe $3-4 worth of gold in it. Unless you really like vodka, it’s not the best investment vehicle. If you really want to invest in gold, try our competitively priced bullion bars! And please, enjoy all your gold flake liquor responsibly.
