Dawson, Yukon Ter., Canada: Drink with a Human Toe in It
The bar at the Downtown Hotel has a supply of mummified toes to spice up its special cocktail.- Address:
- 1025 Second Ave., Dawson, YT, Canada
- Directions:
- Sourdough Saloon, Downtown Hotel, Dawson.
- Phone:
- 867-993-5346
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Dawson City, Yukon, Canada, the ending point of many of the stampeders in the late 1800s, early 1900s, is an interesting town. It looks basically the way it did 100 years ago. However, the biggest attraction is a $5 drink served at the Downtown Hotel, with a human toe dating back to the time of Prohibition, called the Sour Toe Cocktail. Two brothers were traveling back and forth from Dawson City to smuggle rum into Alaska. One night, their toes got frostbite and fell off.
In 1973, a man bought their cabin and found a toe in a masonry jar, which is now in this popular drink. There is apparently a heavy fine if you swallow the toe while drinking the cocktail. I did not drink this, nor did I see it -- I don't think my stomach could have taken it. This town is filled with all sorts of similar character. There is a music festival around the end of July, definitely worth going to.
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The original toe is gone, but the bar maintains a stock of other mummified and preserved human toes. Successful toe drinkers are awarded certificates and their names are added to the official log book. A small tombstone commemorates three of the eight toes -- one "lost," and two "swallowed."