Dawson, Yukon Ter., Canada: Drink With A Human Toe In It
Since 1973 the bar at the Downtown Hotel has had a supply of mummified toes to spice up its "Sourtoe Cocktail." In 2013 one patron deliberately swallowed the toe and paid a $500 fine. The fine has since increased to $2,500.
Results 6 to 6 of 6...[Previous 5 items] Page of 2
Visitor Tips and News About Drink With A Human Toe In It
Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.
Dawson City in the Yukon was the ending point of many of the stampeders in the early 1900s, and an interesting town. It looks basically the way it did 100 years ago. However, the biggest attraction is a $5.00 drink served at the Downtown Hotel with a human toe in it, dating 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 characters. There is a music festival around the end of July, definitely worth going to.
[Debbie, 02/10/2003][Previous 5 items] Page of 2
Drink With A Human Toe In It
- Address:
- 1025 Second Ave., Dawson, YT, Canada
- Directions:
- Sourdough Saloon, Downtown Hotel, Dawson.
- Phone:
- 867-993-5346
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
Nearby Offbeat Places
Mammoth, Dawson City, YT, Canada - < 1 mi.
Shipwrecks on the Yukon River, West Dawson, YT, Canada - 2 mi.Latest Tips Across Roadside America
Catch up on the latest discoveries from the road.
Explore Thousands of Oddball Tourist Attractions!
Unique destinations in the U.S. and Canada are our special obsession. Use our attraction recommendation and maps to plan your next road trip.
The original toe is gone, but the bar maintains a stock of other mummified and preserved human toes. Successful toe drinkers -- the toe is dropped into a beverage of your choice (usually a beer) and it must touch your lips as you drink it -- are awarded certificates and their names are added to the official log book. A small tombstone commemorates three of the toes -- one "lost," and two "swallowed" -- although up to 15 may have vanished over the years. On August 24, 2013, an American tourist deliberately swallowed a toe and immediately paid the $500 fine. He said it was worth it.