The citizens of Canada’s Yukon region enjoy a reputation for wild, eccentric behaviour as untamed as the surrounding wilderness. No example showcases this tendency better than the Dawson City tradition of the Sourtoe Cocktail. Joining the Sourtoe Cocktail Club is a unique experience you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
Contents
Sourtoe cocktail

The practice was established in 1973 when local Captain Dick Stevenson unearthed an alcohol-preserved toe dating back to the ‘1920s mining days, in an old cabin.
He and his friends thought it was a favourable idea to serve the toe in a cocktail.
The name is a take on Sourdough, the nickname for Yukon residents who have survived at least one winter.
The fact that 40 years later, the chance to sip the sourtoe cocktail continues to attract thousands of visitors from all over the globe speaks to the fascinating lure of the Yukon and the craziness of tourists.
These days, you can join the throngs of tourists who line up to be part of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club at the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City.
How To Join The Sourtoe Cocktail Club

I moseyed over to the Downtown Hotel an hour before the official sourtoe cocktail kickoff of 9pm.
Inductees into the Sourtoe Cocktail Club begin to lineup early but I was there to learn the history of the tradition from the “Toe Captain,” Terry Lee.
Adorned in a long white beard, mountaineer hat and black clothes, he looked the part of the bizarre Dawson City historian.
Terry’s position requires that he knows the history and condition of each toe. So far, there have been 11.
“I’m a toe captain, I make sure the toe is in good shape I look up the person’s (toe owner) name and date,” he says.
“The toes have been stolen and swallowed and we’ve had anonymous donations. We get most of them though wills.”
The Toe


According to Terry, the current toe is a female specimen that was severed while she was mowing the lawn in sandals.
Its mangled condition makes for a less sturdy toe.
Terry has willed his own toes for later use but he’s worried about how long this one will last. Most toes last about four years.
Anyone like to donate a toe?
Although there was a $500 fine for swallowing the toe, that hasn’t prevented a few jerks from downing the entire appendage.
The fine has recently been increased to $2,500 to discourage the behaviour.
Gazing at the blackened, slimy toe, I can’t imagine how any sane person would let it near their lips, let alone down their throats, but Captain Terry assures me that it’s purely an exercise in mental fortitude.
“Don’t worry, the toe has been mummified,” he says. “There’s no taste and no odour. All you have to do is get past the appearance.” Right.
The Sourtoe Cocktail ritual

In the Downtown Hotel bar, the line of willing participants snakes from the table (where the sourtoe ritual commences) to outside the door of the hotel.
There’s no shortage of volunteers.
A bearded, flaxen-haired bartender organizes a stack of certificates that proclaims the owner as a part of the elite Sourtoe Cocktail Club (100,000 members and counting).
A battered logbook to record members names sits next to the certificates.
He places the shrivelled toe in the centre of the table, on a silver platter filled with salt.
The inductees can select their cocktail but it must contain hard liquor, with Captain Dick’s favourite Yukon Jack being the traditional choice.
I grab a chair and watch as potential club members partake of the strange ritual.
Plopping down the $5 fee, Marcus from Berlin smiles as he cradles his shot of vodka.
The bartender solemnly recites the sourtoe rules.
“No swallowing, not past the lips, no tongue action and nothing freaky,” he explains. “You can drink it fast or you can drink it slow, but your lips have to touch the toe.” The bartender plops the toe in the shot glass.
Kissing the toe

My stomach turns as Marcus gulps down his drink with the toe waving eerily in the glass. But that’s not the worst part.
For me, what makes the spectacle unbearable is when the bartender grabs the toe out of the empty glass and squeezes out the last drops of alcohol so that the inductee can drink the “toe jam.”
I nearly retch at the sight. But I seem to be one of the few that’s turned off by the sourtoe cocktail.
Men and women, from Japan, from France, from the U.S. and not surprisingly, quite a few Aussies, slurp the drink with glee.
Perhaps it’s because kissing the toe “brings good luck and karma” according to Captain Terry.
Regardless of this, I do not feel compelled to join the Sourtoe Cocktail Club.
The Yukon captured me with its unconventional charm and natural beauty but I managed to survive Dawson City with my lips untouched by the grotesque sourtoe.
Of course, kissing a toe isn’t the only thing you need to visit the Yukon for.
The Yukon is famous for stunning mountainous landscape, outdoor activities and it’s one of the best places in Canada to see the Northern Lights.
Dawson City is not far from Tombstone Territorial Park, which has some of the best Yukon hiking trails.
The entry point to the Yukon Territory is Whitehorse, a city with plenty of nature-based activities on offer. The drive between Whitehorse and Dawson City is about six hours through scenic countryside.
For more exciting attractions in Yukon read:

I’m a member of the club. I drank mine with a shot of Yukon Jack. There was nothing to it. The toe was just a brown blob with an ugly toenail floating around in the alcohol.
LOL, that is a description that would keep the bravest me from getting anywhere near that thing!
But you’d love the Yukon though. The scenery is breathtaking.
Wow, congrats to you! I am not sure I would want to join this club, but I have been known to buckle under peer pressure.
Christine, you are far, far braver than I!
Aww, it’s not that bad you should try it sometime @rcummingsyeates:disqus
I thought this article sounded intriguing and I was right. I have never in my life heard of anything as strange as the Sourtoe Cocktail Club! The photograph of the current toe is really gross but I can see why it attracts so many tourists. The drinking of the cocktail has a real adventurer’s kick to it; I think that I would definitely try it, especially if I had travelled all that way.
Go Sarah! Fortune favours the brave in the Yukon!
Sarah, the Yukon is filled with strange experiences! I was totally grossed out by the toe, it’s literally falling apart but you are very brave to consider trying it!
Oh man! I thought the exiting part of this was the article, but the comments are just as good!
I have never even heard of this before reading this today and if it has anything to do with how other things are operated in the Yukon, I might be up for a trip there!
Devin, this is really a glimpse of how things operate in the Yukon. It is really a wild place. Go visit!
This reminds me so much of the olden times! I always was fascinated with the 1800’s and early 1900’s before technology boomed. People complain about having nothing to do and it amazes me. We have so much more now then back then yet the best traditions came from these times. We need to all go kiss the toe! haha
Make wish when you do. You never know what might come true!
Britanica, the Yukon really preserves a lot of the old ways. I think you’d find the region especially interesting. Let us know if you plan a visit!
LOL, this is completely insane, don’t you think? I am always one for great traditions and most likely would do it one time to join the crowd, but wow!
LOL @karey, I thought the EXACT same thing. What a crazy thing to do, but honestly a tradition is a tradition 🙂
David, it’s a made up tradition that has nothing to do with any original necessity so I think that makes it crazier.
Karey, it you understood the Yukon lifestyle, it would seem so insane but from an outside perspective, yeah, it’s crazy.
Wow. I am not sure what to say about this. As I read through the article, I was just freaked about the toe, but as I learned more about it, it really seems like a neat tradition and a club that might be worth joining just to say you did it once. At one time, I am sure it was a very rare club to be in, but now it has grown in popularity as I am sure it is shared via social media all the time.
Kathy, I was there and I’m still freaked out about the toe.It’s not a small club but it’s very, very special.
I am from northern Wisconsin and I thought there were some very weird traditions around these parts. Those Canadians really have one up on us with this one that is for sure! I cannot wait to tell my friends about this one.
Thomas, Wisconsin does have some weird traditions but I think that Yukon’s cold and wild landscape creates even wider traditions!
Oh man! That first image almost made me lose my lunch 🙂 A very strange tradition to say the least, but it goes on a long list of traditions that are similar that you can find anywhere in the world!
Back in the good ol’ college days, this might have been on my list. Not today however, it might be fun to check out and crack jokes with those that are participating.
Travis, it’s fun to visit the Yukon and Dawson City on any level. The Sour Toe club is a spectacle that isn’t ending anytime soon.