Thursday, June 12, 2008

Toe Cocktail

This must be the equivalent of PETA showing clips of cute furry bunnies before being slaughtered in hopes that people will stop wearing fur for people who enjoy the occassional cocktail. Apparently, a bar in Canada serves up a sourtoe cocktail that contains something along the lines of a worm at the bottom of a tequila bottle—except that this something is a human toe. That’s right. A severed human toe, preserved in salt, black and shrivelled and topped with a fat yellow nail. Truly disgusting, but an "essential" part of the Sourtoe experience.

The “cocktail” consists of a shot of Yukon Jack whiskey topped off with the toe. Drink the whiskey down, and if the toe touches your lips you get a certificate naming you a member of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club. Over 65,000 people have conquered the challenge.

There’s a photo of the toe on the club’s website and here. This image may be out of date, however, as the Saloon has gone through several toes over the years as well. “Some are swallowed, one was chewed up and several were hijacked by military cadets from Ontario,” says bar manager Matt van Norstrand. “We keep an extra one in the freezer,” he adds, “for just such emergencies.”

The natural question for hard-core adventurers is (naturally), “Is there a Sourfoot?” “As far as we know there isn’t,” the bar’s website says. “[B]ut if you’re looking for a thrill try the Five Toe Sourtoe Cocktail; a drink exclusively for brave people with intestinal fortitude.” UGH.

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