Leave it to an American to shake up tradition.

An American worker deliberately swallowed a pickled human toe in a bar in Canada on Saturday night, according to a report in nationalpost.com.

The Downtown Hotel bar’s bizarre 40-year-old Yukon ritual calls for kissing — not swallowing — the toe.

Here’s how it’s supposed to work: The “Sourtoe Cocktail” ritual let’s a patron order his or her drink of choice with a little something extra — a floating human toe. Those who are bold enough to kiss the preserved toe gets bragging rights. To deter shenanigans, the bar charges a $500 fine for swallowing the toe.

The unidentified man, who is believed to be from New Orleans, washed the toe down with a beer chaser and then slapped $500 onto the bar.

The bar owner and others who appreciate their ritual were not amused.

But all is not ‘toe-tally’ lost. The bar expects to continue to get donated replacement toes.

Read more about this toe-swallowing story here.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, among others, will no longer be considered fee-free days at U.S. National Parks. While the MLK National Historic Park in Atlanta doesn't charge admission, the new schedule will affect such metro Atlanta sites as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

Fans celebrate in the stands after Cape Verde defeated Eswatini in a World Cup qualifying soccer match at Estádio Nacional in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, to clinch their qualification for the 2026 World Cup. (Cristiano Barbosa/AP)

Credit: AP