Dawson City, Yukon Territory- This is one event that you'll never forget. Dawson does indeed have a famous drink called the Sour Toe Cocktail, which contains an actual alcohol-preserved human toe. No kidding. Head to the Sourdough Saloon at the Downtown Hotel and you can watch this strange ritual, or for $5 you can try the cocktail yourself and earm a certificate. This started in 1973 with what is said to be the toe of a miner, which had been amputated in the 1920's. To participate and earn the official certificate, the rule is 'You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow—But the lips have gotta touch the toe.'
Where: Historic Dawson City was the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush. The town ( pop today about 1,800) is a National Historic Site. Visitors can pan for gold, visit the cabins of Robert Service & Jack London, gamble at Diamond Tooth Gerties, take a First Nation's river tour, and enjoy life under the midnight sun.
Established in 1973, the Sourtoe Cocktail has become a Dawson City tradition. The original rules were that the toe must be placed in a beer glass full of champagne, and that the toe must touch the drinker's lips during the consumtion of the alcohol before he or she can claim to be a true Sourtoer. The rules have changed in the past twenty-seven years. The Sourtoe can be had with any drink now (even ones that aren't alcoholic), but one rule remains the same. The drinker's lips must touch the toe. " You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow-- But the lips have gotta touch the toe."
The Sourtoes are actual human toes that have been dehydrated and preserved in salt. Swallowing one is not suggested.