Expert: Paul Wagner - 8/12/2007

Question
I have a bottle of Eau D'or Liqueur from T. Noirot & CIE.-Nancy, France, but made in mexico.  I am trying to find out info on it, how much it may be worth, if it is drinkable.  It has flecks of gold in the liquor.  Do you know where I can get more info, or where I can take it to to get appraised? Thanks for your help!

Answer
Hi Heather

Noirot is a quite well-known producer of liqueur flavorings...and still sells those on a world-wide basis.  But what you have is a commercial version of a very old kind of liquer.  The original was Polish, but has been adapted by the French as well.  Eau d'Or was originally called Goldwasser, and it was first produced in 1598 in the Prussian port of Danzig (now Polish Gdansk). It contains infusions of botanicals with flakes of real gold, which makes it a unique liqueur. "Goldwasser or Danziger Goldwasser to give it its archetypal name, recalls the great Catalan physician Arnaldo de Villanova who, in the 13 th century, is reputed to have cured the Pope of a dangerous illness by giving him an elixir containing specks of gold." (Spirits & Liqueurs Cookbook) There was for a time a silver version - Silberwasser. Liqueur d'Or or Eau d'Or was a now extinct French version. A Danziger Goldwasser is made in Germany, while the Polish Distillery Polmos makes a Goldwasser (Zlota Woda) not in Gdansk, but in Poznan, from esential oils according to the label. There is a Swiss version containing gold flakes but which has a strong cinnamon character, which does not resemble the Polish or German versions. For those who want to make an impression as a 'Goldfinger' or want to cure a dangerous illness, gold flakes can still be obtained. Here are the Polish and French versions. Note that the Polish version relies only on maceration, as a double home distillation is illegal.

Goldwasser - zlota woda
Ingredients for 1 litre of liqueur.
35 ml 'Goldwasser Essence'
450 g sugar
25 ml cognac
430 ml alcohol 95%bv
60 g water
'Goldwasser Essence'
5 g star anise
2 g cinnamon
3 g nutmeg
1 g cloves
1 g cardamon
4 g coriander
4 g melissa
4 g peppermint
1 g rosemary
6 g lemon peel
8 g orange peel
500 ml alcohol 55%bv
Dilute 300 ml 95%bv alcohol with 210 ml water, making 500 ml alcohol 55%bv. Place botanicals in a jar, add alcohol and macerate for 2-3 weeeks. Strain and keep in a warm place. Add sugar dissolved in the water, to Essence. Add cognac and alcohol 95%bv. Add water to make 1 litre and leave for 4-6 months. Filter and add gold flakes.


Eau d'Or
60 g cinnamon (cassia)
60 g aniseed
50 g juniper
30 g nutmeg
30 g orris root
30 g rosemary flowers
20 g cardamon
20 g cloves
peel from 10 lemons
peel from 5 oranges
12 litres (3 U.S. gals) alcohol 85%bv
3 L water
Macerate.
Double distill.
Color lightly yellow with saffron.
Add gold flakes.
Perfume with orange blossom water.

Your bottle doesn't have a great deal of value to drink connoisseurs, because the alcohol level is so high that these things don't really develop or improve with age. You might get more money from a bottle collector--I am not an expert there, but I would guess this might sell for as much as $50 if it is in great shape.

Paul Wagner