Why Do Different Cultures Drink Alcohol Out of Shoes?

In 2004's The Phantom of the Opera, a scene takes place where Messieurs André and Firmin (Simon Callow and Ciarán Hinds) try to placate their diva opera singer, Carlotta (Minnie Driver). Monsieur André pops open a bottle of champagne and pours it into one of Carlotta's slippers. He then hands it to Monsieur Firmin, who, at the behest of Carlotta, drinks from her shoe.

This scene perfectly illustrates the lengths to which the opera owners went to accommodate their star, but drinking from a shoe has been a trend in several cultures throughout history. More recently, even Harry Styles drank from his sneaker at one of his concerts.

So, why and how did drinking from shoes become a thing?

Ballet Slippers and High Heels

One of the earliest instances of this trend is said to have originated in Russia in the late 1800s, demonstrating that over-the-top fans are not a modern phenomenon. The Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow gave adoring fans the slippers of their favorite dancers, filled with champagne and vodka. The fans would drink from the ballet slippers in acknowledgement of the ballerinas' skill and talent. This could also be where the Ukrainian wedding tradition of drinking from the bride's shoes comes from.

During the same time, France was in the middle of its Belle Époque (Beautiful Era), and cabaret dancers were giving their fans a taste of their hard work by filling their shoes with champagne. As the Belle Époque went on, the tradition spread throughout Europe and to the US. When celebrities like Tallulah Bankhead were seen drinking from shoes, people began associating shoe champagne withdecadence, wealth, and glamour.

Army Boots

Another instance in which people drank from shoes was during the war. Stories describe a Prussian general who promised his men that if they won the battle they were about to fight, he would drink beer from his boot. After their victory, the general had a boot of glass made, presumably because he thought beer from his muddy, bloody, and sweaty boot wouldn't taste great. This story bears no evidence, but it is the alleged origin of Germany's bierstiefel, a boot-shaped glass that appears often at Oktoberfest.

Other tales tell of German soldiers during World War I drinking from each other's boots as a good-luck charm before a battle or as a hazing ritual for those new to the trenches. These are also little more than folk tales, but they continue to be passed down to bar-hoppers each year as they drink from "Das Boot."

Tennis Shoes and Sneakers

Athletes and sports celebrities have taken the tradition of drinking from shoes and run with it (pun intended). They use their shoe to drink their victory beer. Dr. Liz Giuffre of the University of Technology Sydney said, "It's... the whole idea that I've just done this really hard thing and I'm going to drink out of the shoe that got me there." This has become a trend, especially among Australian athletes, and they have given it a name: the shoey.

"Doing a shoey" gained traction in Australia in 2010, but it went viral after Australian F1 racer Daniel Ricciardo first did it in 2016 and several more times after that. Ricciardo preferred champagne to beer, saying that "If the sparkling wine is cold, then it tastes good," he added: "If it's warm, then you might get the sweat through it, but the cold taste kills the bad stuff... so it's delicious."

Drinking alcohol out of shoes is probably not the most hygienic, and it also wouldn't taste great, but if you think too much about those details, you miss the meaning behind it. Whether you're doing a "shoey" to celebrate a hard-fought win, trying to bring good fortune in tough times, or to show admiration for someone, it's a valuable tradition in many different cultures. And, it's good to have traditions, no matter how silly they seem.

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