Man swallowed sour toe and paid the fine

A Yukon hotel is short one severed human toe after a man swallowed it in a glass of whisky Saturday night.

“I’d never, ever expected something like that to happen,” said Terry Lee, still flabbergasted by what he saw at the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City.

The local tradition of downing drinks containing a severed digit, gnarled and leathery like a stale pepperoni stick, hearkens back to the early 1970s, when a river barge pilot named Captain Dick Stevenson founded the “Sourtoe Cocktail Club.”

Lee, a local retiree who has worked as “toe captain” since June, said the latest toe was “mummified” with salt, and plunked into drinks for brave patrons about 30 to 40 times per night. More than 52,000 have joined the club, each receiving certificates and membership cards as relics of their courageous deed.

“It’s a dark brown colour, completely wrinkled. It’s a gross looking thing.”

Lee recommended trying it with Yukon Jack whisky.

There’s a $500 fine for swallowing the toe, which Lee said is meant as a “deterrent.” On Saturday, an unidentified man entered the bar and approached Lee’s station with a shot of whisky.

“This guy popped it in his mouth . . . takes $500 out of his pocket and slams it on the table and starts walking away.