Earlier this Summer, a uniquely Yukon milestone was marked with the serving of the 100,000th Sourtoe Cocktail at the Downtown Hotel, a Coast Hotel, in Dawson City. Yukon Premier, Sandy Stone, joined this one-of-a-kind club when he was served this historic tipple and joined the world-renowned Sourtoe Cocktail Club.

Doing “the Toe” involves drinking a shot of an alcoholic spirit with a mummified human toe in it. Once the Toe touches the lips, the person has officially joined the club and gets a certificate to commemorate the prestigious occasion.

This famously grisly tipple tradition began in 1973 when a local – Captain Dick Stevenson – discovered a preserved toe in an old prospecting cabin. The former owner of the toe was a gold miner/bootlegger named Louie Liken who had parted company with his big toe sometime during Prohibition and preserved it for over 50 years in alcohol in his cabin. Stevenson's inspiration for the drink came from the “The Ballad of the Ice-Worm Cocktail” by Robert Service.

Downtown Hotel's Director of Sourtoe Cocktail Relations, Adam Gerle said: “The excitement has been building in Dawson City for this moment for a long time. We want to do something special to commemorate Toe 100,000 and are delighted that the Yukon's Premier, Sandy Stone, has claimed the bragging rights and no-toe-riety of drinking the 100,000th Sourtoe Cocktail.”

A delighted Terry Lee, Toe Master at the Downtown Hotel, couldn't wait to preside over this momentous occasion. Lee said: “The town is buzzing! The Toe has been great publicity for Dawson City and we used one of Captain Dick's gnarly big toes for the occasion. He would be thrilled to know we've hit 100,000 members!”

In 2019, ​​British Ultramarathon runner, Nick Griffiths, donated his big toe to the Yukon's quirky Sourtoe Cocktail Club, and completed the Dawson City challenge by downing a 'toe-quila' with his own mummified toe in the glass.

About the Yukon:

Situated in the upper Northwest corner of Canada, next to Alaska, the Yukon is Canada's most accessible northern destination. Home to Canada's highest mountain (Mount Logan) and the planet's largest non-polar icefields located in Kluane National Park - a UNESCO World Heritage site. One of North America's most undiscovered destinations; close to 80 percent remains pristine wilderness with 5,000-metre peaks, forested valleys, unspoiled waters and untamed wildlife. Roughly the size of Spain at just over 186,000 square miles, the Yukon is home to more than 160,000 caribou, 70,000 moose, 22,000 mountain sheep, 7,000 grizzly bears, 10,000 black bears and 250 species of birds, with a human population of only 41,000.

For further information on the Yukon, visit www.travelyukon.com