Seems Disgusting! What is Australia Drink Out of Shoes For?

Some people want to see Daniel Ricciardo wins just for seeing him doing the shoey. The shoey is an Australia drink out of shoes that have become a trend. The idea of drinking something from a shoe might make you want to throw up, so how did it happen, and what is it for?

History of Australia Drink Out of Shoes or “The Shoey”

It is not clear who was the first person who ever drank something from a shoe, and it might not even be a person after all. Some sources say that shoes were used by people in ancient land of Arab to give water to animals. There might be a person doing the shoey before the one at a brothel, although clear evidence is nowhere to be found.

It is believed that the shoey happened for the first time in 1902, according to a book called On This Day in Chicago History by John R. Schmidt. The first shoey happened at a Chicago brothel when someone drank champagne with a dancer’s slipper that fell in front of him.

The trend of shoey also happened during the world war, specifically for German soldiers. For initiation purposes, new recruits had to drink beer with a boot. A victorious general’s boot was one of those boots.

In Australia, however, people started doing the shoey to drink popular drinks in Australia for joy and celebration about 20 years ago.

What Events Where People Usually Do The Shoey?

As disgusting as it might seem, the shoey is usually used to have fun or celebrate something. People tend to do crazy things when they are happy, so drinking from shoes is not really that surprising. It can happen anywhere, like in a club or a party, but sporting events are what make the shoey famous.

Daniel Ricciardo, an Australian Formula One driver, is the one who influences people to do Australia drink out of shoes, at least in recent years. Every time he achieved a podium finish, he did the shoey to celebrate it. Sadly, he will not be a full-time driver in 2023, so we may not see a shoey celebration in the competition in the near future.

Some public figures also dared to celebrate with the shoey. A fellow Australian, Jack Miller, is also known for the celebration in MotoGP. Motorsport legends Lewis Hamilton and Valentino Rossi have also tried the celebration as non-Australians, and actors like Gerard Butler and Patrick Stewart did not want to miss the train.

Is The Shoey a Local Tradition?

The shoey has been very popular in Australia. The fact that Australian public figures have done it further the thought of the shoey as a local tradition. Despite its non-Australian origin, it can be said that the shoey is an Australian local tradition as no other countries are known to celebrate this activity.

To do the shoey, any kind of drink, including Australian drinks non alcoholic will do just fine. But, due to their celebratory purposes, drinks that contain alcohol, such as beer and champagne, are some of the common ones.

The Shoey Controversy in Australia and The World

Some people see the shoey as a disgusting activity because it is. Shoes are not purposely used for drinking, not to mention drinking from them after doing some sweaty activities. The bacteria contained in those shoes are beyond imagination.

The bacteria contained in a shoe with a sweaty foot can cause many diseases, such as pneumonia, nausea, vomiting, food poisoning, and diarrhea. To reduce the chance of those illnesses, it is better to use alcoholic drinks, but not sparkling ones, like vodka or red wine, which can kill some of those bacteria.

As expected, a controversial activity like the shoey definitely receives various responses from other countries. There is no country that legally bans the shoey, at least until now. On the contrary, seeing the fans’ reaction when their favorite athletes do the shoey, it seems all parties are happy with the disgusting activity.

Now that you know about Australia drink out of shoes, do you dare to try it? It is okay to do it for fun, but it is not recommended to do it often for the sake of your health.