wacky wednesday - a drink for the "adventurous"

Almost a year (August 28, 2013) ago I read an article in The Globe and Mail (a newspaper in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) and at first thought it was humorous... then gross... then ghastly... then unbelievable...and back to humorous... then gross...  you get the picture.

The article states that the bar in The Downtown Hotel in Dawson City (Yukon Territory) is famous (or infamous?) for its Sourtoe Cocktail - any kind of liquor (40% alcohol or higher) served with a preserved human toe bobbing up and down in the glass. Customers with enough chutzpah to try a Sourtoe Cocktail are supposed to touch their lips to the toe but not put it in their mouth or try to swallow it. And there is a "club" - yes, the Sourtoe Cocktail Club - for those that try the drink. For real. I can't make this stuff up. Google it if you don't believe me.

Now the part that made this whole thing "newsworthy" is that a card-carrying member of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club (identified only as an American) came in one evening, ordered the cocktail, drank it and swallowed the toe before paying for his drink and leaving. The bar's "Toe Captain," Terry Lee, was concerned because they only had one toe left now. The article quoted him as saying "Now that we only have one toe, we have to use it continuously and that's going to contribute to the deterioration of the toe." (Seriously? They have a "Toe Captain?" And THAT was his concern? But that's a blog post for another day...)

The rest of the story is almost as humorous... gross... ghastly... unbelievable... well, you know. After the story broke on CNN and hit the internet, the bar decided to advertise for new toes to replace the one they lost and maybe get a few extra. Their ad read:

Got Frostbite? The Downtown Hotel in Dawson City, Yukon is currently seeking toes

 for its world-famous Sourtoe Cocktail.

Donor will be forever immortalized in the Sourtoe Hall of Fame.

Contact adam@yukonhotels.com for details.

The bar received several offers from people who had suffered  amputations from accidents or were undergoing surgical procedures involving removing a toe or toes. Donors brought or mailed their toes to the bar where the toes were sterilized in alcohol and then stored in margarita salt until they could float on a fresh shot of whiskey.

And I thought having a prickly pear margarita was being adventurous.