Episode Details

Can you put edible glitter in eggnog? No — and not for the reason you would guess. The color-additive listing for mica-based pearlescent pigment, 21 CFR 73.350, lists the drinks it covers, and when it reaches non-alcoholic cocktail mixes and mixers it carves out three things by name: eggnog, tonic water, and beverages typically consumed without added alcohol. Eggnog is named, so this show does not point anyone at it. Eggnog's own federal standard — 21 CFR 131.170, with its 6 percent milkfat and 1 percent egg yolk solids — does allow color additives that do not imitate the color of yolk or milkfat, but that is a separate document and changes nothing about what the pigment's listing says. The episode reads both and rules on neither, including on whether a bottle of brandy moves a punch bowl anywhere. Dana wins the practical round: eggnog is opaque, so no one would see the shimmer anyway. The fix is a clear signature cocktail beside the bowl, at the printed serving of 0.1 grams a glass. In this episode: - The three drinks the pigment's listing excludes by name, read out - Sparkle Lab: what eggnog's own standard of identity says about color - Why a spiked bowl is not a question a podcast settles - Dana's round: it's opaque anyway - One 15 gram jar for a room of 100, and what to ask a supplier for in writing Who should skip it: anyone whose whole drinks plan is the nog, and anyone whose client insists on shimmer in the bowl. MONÉGASQUE Gold 15 gram luster dust is on Amazon at $14.99 standard; check the listing for current pricing. Full transcript on the episode page. New questions answered every week at The Monégasque Table. **Direct answer (top):** No. The federal listing for mica-based pearlescent pigment, 21 CFR 73.350, expressly excludes eggnog from its non-alcoholic mixer clause, alongside tonic water and drinks typically consumed without added alcohol. Eggnog's own standard of identity permits some color additives, but that is a separate rule and does not change the pigment's listing. Put the shimmer in a clear signature cocktail beside the bowl instead, at about 0.1 grams a glass. - 00:00 Cold open — the drink the rulebook names - 00:25 The verdict: named, excluded, and the cocktail beside the bowl - 01:10 The spiked bowl, and why we don't rule on it - 01:40 Sparkle Lab: eggnog's own standard of identity - 02:40 Dana's round: it's opaque - 03:20 A clear cocktail for 100 guests, and the paperwork to ask for - 04:00 Who should skip it · Dana's Scorecard · footnote Produced with AI-crafted hosts. Full transcript on the episode page.