Olive
A small, firm emerald drupe grown in high-gravity orchards. The final garnish dropped into the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, soaking up the cocktail's apocalyptic potency.
Item Specification: Olive

"Add an olive. Drink . . . but . . . very carefully . . ."
— The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Chapter 2
The Olive—most celebratedly represented across the Galaxy by the pungent, dense Arcturan Cocktail Olive—is an ancient, firm drupe fruit cultivated in the pressurized geodesic orchards and terraced hydroponic rings of the Arcturus and Betelgeuse systems.
While unassuming in appearance, in cosmic mixology and gastro-physical science it holds the undisputed title of the most lethal botanical garnish in known space.
The Final Step of the Gargle Blaster
In Zaphod Beeblebrox's holy recipe for the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, the Olive serves as the ultimate conclusion:
- The Plunge: Once the pinch of Zamphuor has neutralized the surface volatility, a single emerald olive is dropped into the center of the drink.
- The Ballast Effect: The dense flesh of the olive drops directly through the stratifications of Ol' Janx Spirit, Santraginean Sea Water, and melted Arcturan Mega-gin, coming to rest at the absolute center of the glass and acting as a gravitational anchor for the entire cocktail.
- The Sponge of Doom: As the cocktail is imbibed, the porous cellular structure of the olive steadily absorbs volatile ethers, dissolved Algolian Suntiger Tooth plasma, and saturated hypermint oils.
The Peril of Eating The Olive
The Guide provides explicit instructions concerning the fate of the garnish:
- The Secondary Detonation: When you reach the bottom of the glass, eating the olive delivers a concussive shockwave that seasoned hitchhikers compare to having your temporal lobe struck by a small, gold-plated sledgehammer.
- Betelgeusian Saloon Tradition: In frontier cocktail terraces across Betelgeuse Seven, swallowing the olive whole without clutching your head or weeping for your homeworld is considered the prerequisite for obtaining a Class-4 Deep Space Pilot's License.
- Bar Accompaniment: Beyond the Gargle Blaster, raw pickled olives are traditionally served in wooden bowls beside salted peanuts and cold cellar bitter to hitchhikers bracing themselves for imminent hyperspace jumps.
Cup of Almost-Not-Quite-Tea
Dispensed by a Sirius Cybernetics Nutri-Matic Drinks Synthesizer. A lukewarm liquid that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.
Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
The greatest drink in existence. Drinking one is like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick. Never drink more than two.