The Sourtoe Cocktail: Dawson City’s Most Bizarre Drink 

Have you ever heard of the world’s most disgusting drink? In Dawson City, Yukon, the Sourtoe Cocktail consists of one ounce of alcohol and one dehydrated human toe. This unusual tradition began in 1973, but the legend of the first sourtoe goes back to the 1920s.

During a cross-border delivery, two brothers, Louie Linken and Otto Linken, were caught in a blizzard. The brothers were rum-runners, people who secretly transported alcohol to avoid taxes or restrictions. While directing his dog team, Louie stepped into icy water, causing his big toe to freeze completely. To prevent gangrene, a serious condition in which body tissue dies after severe frostbite or infection, his brother Otto performed a crude field amputation and preserved the toe in alcohol as a souvenir.

Years later, Dick Stevenson discovered the toe in an abandoned cabin and, with friends, founded the Sourtoe Cocktail Club. Today, the club counts more than 100,000 members from around the world.

To join, visitors must go to the Sourdough Saloon in the Downtown Hotel, order a shot, recite the Sourtoe Oath, watch the dehydrated toe dropped into their drink, and then sip the cocktail. The golden rule is simple:

“You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow, but your lips have gotta touch the toe.”

Since its founding, the club has collected 25 donated toes. Swallowing the toe is strictly prohibited and comes with a hefty fine.

Léa Zinsli, PolarJournal