When I engage in adult beverages, I drink WhistlePig 10-year-old straight rye whiskey. 100 proof. $75.95 a bottle. Good stuff. I never thought much about if there was anything in it besides whiskey. At 50% alcohol, I figure it’ll kill anything it touches – – possibly even me, if I overdo it. (Turns out it really is 100% straight rye whiskey. No added chemicals, so I’m safe – – maybe.)
But not all alcoholic drinks are so pure. Take the widely loved martini. Gin, dry vermouth, one or two olives on a toothpick. What could possibly go wrong? Well, it’s the olives, or more particularly, the pimentos in the olives, that are the culprits.
You see, the principal ingredient in those “pimentos” is calcium alginate, an extract from brown seaweed. Here’s how the innocent little pimento became the unwitting pawn of BIG FOOD.
Industrial machinery grinds pimento (a variety of chili pepper) into a puree – essentially, slimy mush.
Calcium alginate (from brown seaweed) and guar gum (used in animal feed) and water are added to the pimento mush. A nozzle spreads the mush mixture on a conveyor belt that passes through a tub of calcium chloride (a type of salt). This turns the mush into a gel that a machine cuts into oblong pieces. Another machine removes the seed from olives and presses in the pimento gel.
Yummy.
Are the pimentos in the olives being misrepresented when the jar says “Pimento Stuffed Olives.” Yes, indeed.
Does it matter? I don’t know. After two or three martinis, most people can’t even see the pimento, let alone worry about what it might actually be.
Do I care? Not really. I drink 10-year-old WhistlePig.
But 30 years of practicing FDA law has taught me there are hidden chemicals none of us can escape. For example, there’s antifreeze in our toothpaste.
The moral of this story: Keep away from pimentos and toothpaste. Stick to straight whiskey. It’s 100% natural.
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