Remember Those Severed Toe Cocktails? Someone Finally Ate The Last Toe

What, you thought you’d never have to hear another thing about those cocktails in the Yukon Territory that are garnished with pickled toes, ever again? Too bad, so sad. Because someone decided to eat one.
Or, more specifically, swallowed the whole thing whole, and paid $500 for the privilege of doing so, as severed toes are actually a sort of hard garnish to replace, and Dawson City’s Downtown Hotel has specific rules in place to prevent this from happening. They take it so seriously, in fact, that after this latest incident, they’ve raised the toe-eating fine to $2,500.
Which is necessary, I guess, since up to 15 toes have been lost in the few decades they’ve been doing this “Sourtoe Cocktail” schtick, and this was actually the last toe the bar had on reserve. “Any donor of a new toe would surely be appreciated,” said Capt. Dick Stevenson, who’s responsible for the drink’s invention, and noted that in the interim he’ll be serving drinks instead with “testicles and penis bone of a black bear.” Glad they’re hanging in, I guess. And that I live in a place where crushed ice is still the prevalent option.
Follow Virginia K. Smith on Twitter @vksmith.