The Sourtoe Cocktail is just that, a cocktail garnished with an actual preserved and pickled human toe. The drink is found at the Sourdough Saloon, inside the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. Patrons who accept the challenge of the Sourtoe Cocktail must finish the toe-garnished drink of their choice and allow the toe to touch their lips in order to successfully complete the challenge.
Those who have completed the challenge become members of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club. The rules of the challenge have not changed since 1973; the toe may pair with any drink, but the challenge is not complete until the drink is finished and the toe has touched the lips of the patron. Members of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club sign a logbook and receive a certificate to take home, as proof of their bravery.
The Sourdough Saloon is one of two restaurants in the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City. It’s known for its turn of the century décor and swinging saloon doors. In addition to the famous Sourtoe Cocktail, there is a full menu of food items. The restaurant can host up to 105 people and is available for special events. Rooms may be booked at the adjoining Downtown Hotel, which is operated by the Canada’s Best Value Inn chain.
The small Canadian town of Dawson City is famed for its link to the great Klondike Gold Rush. Today, there are just over 1,000 permanent residents.
History: Legend has it that in the 1920s, a miner and rumrunner, Louie Liken, lost his toe to frost bite, and kept it preserved in his home as a keepsake. In 1973, 50 years later, Captain Dick Stevenson, known locally as an “eccentric,” found the toe as he was cleaning out Liken’s Yukon cabin. The captain brought the toe to the saloon and began plunking it into people’s drinks. After a drunken evening with friends, the rules of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club were formed, and the recordkeeping began. Today, upwards of 40 people may join the club on any given night.
Swallowing the toe is not allowed, although it has happened. The very first toe was lost in 1980 when local miner Gary Younger accidentally swallowed the toe as he fell backwards in his chair while downing his 13th glass of Sourtoe champagne. Additional accidental swallowings have occurred over the years, and one toe was stolen. In total, 8 different toes have graced the Sourtoe Cocktail. Amputated toes have arrived at the saloon due to diabetes, inoperable corns, and frostbite. Two toes were donated by a local in exchange for free drinks for his nurses. One toe arrived anonymously in a jar of alcohol with a note warning not to mow the lawn in open-toed sandals.
1026 2nd Ave, Dawson City, Yukon Y0B 1G0, Canada, Phone: 867-993-5346
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