A shot of alcohol, a mummified human toe and a whole lot of courage. That’s what it takes to join one of Canada’s strangest drinking traditions.At the Sourdough Saloon in Dawson City, Yukon, people order a drink that comes with an unusual garnish: a real human toe that’s been preserved and dried. It’s called the Sourtoe Cocktail, and there’s a catch. You can gulp down the drink or take your time with it, but your lips must touch the toe.Yes, really.
What is the Sourtoe Cocktail?
The Sourtoe Cocktail is a drink served at the Sourdough Saloon in Dawson City, in Canada’s Yukon Territory. It has become a local tradition, attracting people willing to take on a drinking challenge that’s not for the faint-hearted.The ingredients are about as unusual as they get: alcohol, a dehydrated human toe and, as the club puts it, courage.Anyone can give it a try. But there’s no skipping the main event. The toe must touch your lips before you’ve earned the right to call yourself a member of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club.
How do you order the drink?
According to Dawson City’s official website, the ritual is fairly straightforward. Head to the Sourdough Saloon, take the Sourtoe Oath and watch as a real human toe is dropped into your drink.The club has one rule that every participant must follow: “You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow, but your lips have gotta touch the toe”.Finish the challenge and you receive a certificate to mark the occasion. It’s certainly not the kind of drinking experience most people would want to forget.
How did the Sourtoe Cocktail begin?
The story behind the drink dates back to the 1920s and involves two brothers, Louie and Otto Linken, who were reportedly running rum across the border.According to the local legend, the brothers got caught in a blizzard during one of their journeys. Louie’s foot was soaked in icy water, and he kept going rather than stop and deal with the injury because he was trying to avoid the police.His big toe eventually froze so badly that Otto had to amputate it. The brothers preserved the toe in a jar of alcohol.Years later, Captain Dick Stevenson came across the jar while cleaning out an abandoned cabin. He and his friends turned the discovery into a drinking ritual and started the Sourtoe Cocktail Club.What began as an unusual find eventually became one of Dawson City’s best-known traditions.Stevenson died in 2019 at the age of 89. The official Dawson City account paid tribute to him, saying he had helped shape the town’s identity and would be remembered for his love of the community.
Where do the human toes come from?
The club has received more than 25 toes through donations over the years. The original toe is long gone from the drinking ritual, but replacements have kept the tradition alive.Among the donors was Nick Griffiths, a former Royal Marine who lost a toe to frostbite while taking part in an extreme winter marathon.For those who sign up, the challenge isn’t about the taste of the drink. It’s about being able to say they’ve done something few others would even consider.And if you’re wondering whether you could simply drink the shot without letting the toe touch your lips, that would defeat the whole point. At the Sourtoe Cocktail Club, the toe is the star of the show.