A resident of the English city of Bolton, County of Greater Manchester, donated two toes for the Sourtoe cocktail, which is prepared at the bar at the Downtown Hotel in the Canadian town of Dawson. It is reported by the news portal CBC News.
Nick Griffiths lost three toes to his left foot in 2018 due to frostbite while competing in an extreme winter marathon. The 47-year-old had heard about the legendary drink with an amputated and canned toe and wanted to contribute. The surgeon agreed to his request to preserve and alcoholize his fingers.
Griffiths mailed his fingers. On Tuesday, June 11, the package was delivered to Downtown. “I hope these bad guys got here safely. I apologize for delaying the dispatch,”he wrote in a note attached to his fingers.
It will take the bar representatives about six weeks to mummify the limb for future cocktails. Griffiths thumb will become the 16th finger used in cocktails throughout the history of this tradition. At the moment, the establishment, according to the bartender, has "four or five fingers left." The Downtown Hotel has promised that they will be able to treat the generous donor with a cocktail with his own finger this summer.
The history of making the Sour Finger cocktail began in 1973. According to local legend, an unknown smuggler's toe was found on the ship by a local resident, Captain Dick Stevenson. It was he who founded the Sour Finger Cocktail Club. Anyone can become a member of the club and receive a certificate, having fulfilled one condition: "You can drink slowly, you can drink quickly, but your lips should touch your finger."
The bar has repeatedly searched for a donor who could donate a toe to the institution. According to the bartenders, the finger from the cocktail has been swallowed and stolen more than once. During non-working hours for visitors, the finger is kept in salt. It is not disinfected because, according to the bar staff, the alcohol in which it is placed kills all bacteria.