Friends, there are a lot of awesome drinks out there. Fruit juice. Fanta. Tea. Orange mocha Frappuccinos. Wine made from different fermented animals. You know, the typical stuff that quenches our thirst. Wait…fermented animal wine? Unfortunately, yes. It’s a weird world out there, and humans are willing to drink just about anything. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of 9 weirdest drinks around the world. We’ll start you off gently, but things will start getting progressively more disgusting. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
9. Bilk (Milk Beer)
Okay, as odd as it sounds, this isn’t that bad. Made in Japan, the idea was hatched in order to use up surplus milk. It starts by boiling the milk and then adding beer yeast and hops. The end result is something that isn’t unlike milk and tea with fruity notes.
8. The Aunt Roberta cocktail
If you’re regular cocktails aren’t as harsh as you’d wish, the Aunt Roberta is the answer. It consists of straight up gin, vodka, brandy, absinthe and blackberry liqueur. Oh, and if you have any left over it’s probably suitable for mopping kitchen floors.
7. Yak Butter Tea
If you ever drop by Tibet (and why wouldn’t you?) help yourself to a cup of yak butter tea. Made with tea leaves, yak butter and salt, and then added to a bowl with toasted barley and milk curds, it’s something of an acquired taste. But not terrifying. This list has hardly gotten started though.
6. Kumis (Fermented Mare’s Milk)
This is where things start getting weird, guys. A traditional drink in Mongolia, Kumis was enjoyed by the likes of Attila the Hun when he wasn’t busy plundering Eastern Europe. It is sort of like yogurt, but the sourest kind from your nightmares.
5. Chicha de Muko
How about some corn beer? So far so good, we suppose. Human spit? Yes, please! Oh wait no. One of the traditional methods of making this drink involves chewing on the corn and then hocking loogies into water, then sitting back and letting all of it ferment together. Bottoms up!
4. Lizard Wine
Here’s something to think about: once upon a time, somebody saw a gecko and thought, “I bet if I ferment that in a bottle of rice wine and add some ginseng it will taste super awesome.” It’s been said that this common Chinese beverage will protect you from evil spirits. But let’s be honest, folks. If evil spirits are after you, it’s probably because of the poor decisions you make in life, such as drinking bottles of lizard wine.
3. Snake Wine
I think it’s safe to say that the Vietnamese top their Chinese counterparts when it comes to reptile wine. Venomous snakes are drowned alive and left to steep in a bottle of grain alcohol. Along with consuming the drink, brave souls are encouraged to eat the organs of the snake, including its still-beating heart. I have a better idea. Let’s don’t and say we did.
3. Seagull Wine
Folks, I literally had to make sure this was a real thing and not just something a weirdo made up to troll us. Seagull wine was indeed something invented by the Eskimos and the process is pretty easy: take a dead seagull. Stick it in a bottle. Leave it in the sun and let it ferment. Question your sanity as you drink whatever results.
1. The Sourtoe Cocktail
Need a reason to travel to Dawson City, Canada up there in the Yukon territories? Perchance you’d a shot of whiskey with an actual human toe added to it? Gross, you say? How about if we told you the toe is salted and preserved? In that case, sure! You aren’t actually supposed to eat the toe (although occasionally people do, usually by accident but at least in one case on purpose), but once you finish the shot you are supposed to let it touch your lips. I guess that’s all there is to say about that.
