When Cleopatra was wooing Marc Antony, she bet him that she could spend an outrageous fortune on a single meal. He doubted her. In response, she is said to have dissolved a valuable pearl in vinegar and gulped it down. But is the story true? No one knows for certain, but new research shows that it is not out of the realm of possibility. My favorite line in the article?
The cocktail would have been less appetizing than a martini with the traditional olive, but still palatable.