Trying something that sounds totally out there isn’t uncommon in the realm of food, and certainly not in that of alcohol. The greater the challenge in either the flavor or the ingredients, the bigger the badge of honor that’s held by the recipient. Many spirits such as gin, tequila, and mezcal have their own exotic ingredients like scorpions and wood ants that up the ante for anyone wanting to try their brand. Among the most daring of them is habushu, or snake whiskey, a spirit whose process isn’t for the faint of heart. The spirit has roots in mostly China, Japan, and Thailand, and infuses a rice alcohol base with a live, venomous snake. It’s believed that the snake’s essence enhances the flavor and offers many medicinal purposes. Although it isn’t very popular in the United States, snake whiskey has been around since the times of the Western Zhou Dynasty, where it was a luxury beverage in places like Okinawa.
There are many ways snake whiskey is made, but traditionally, a live snake (usually a cobra or viper) is put in a jar of rice whiskey or whiskey where it succumbs to the spirit, then ferments. The snake’s body is said to enhance the whiskey’s woody notes with bitter, earthy notes, and a fishy smell. Since its profile can be very bold, it’s sometimes enhanced with herbs and spices to help balance out the more unpleasant ones. Similar to other food-based treatments to cure ailments, like the TikTok McDonald’s migraine hack, snake whiskey is said to cure any number of illnesses, such as skin and joint problems, and even improve one’s overall health.
Is snake whiskey actually safe, and can you get it in the US?
Unfortunately, snake whiskey isn’t available to purchase in the U.S. aside from a few sketchy websites. Anyone bringing a bottle on their next flight home may also be subject to higher scrutiny due to Fish and Wildlife Service regulations. Thankfully, there are plenty of similar spirits that will scratch the “exotic critter spirits” available across the United States. Anyone traveling to Las Vegas for some of the city’s best buffets can add a Scorpion Shot from Nacho Daddy to their list of “must-do’s.” The Vegas-original restaurant offers patrons the opportunity to take a shot of tequila with a dead and de-stingered scorpion. Alternatively, the earthy and savory notes of roasted bugs like mealworms and grasshoppers apparently pair nicely with a Mezcal and seem worth trying.
The venom may be one of the most daunting aspects of snake whiskey, but habushu, when prepared correctly, is generally safe. The general thought is that the ethanol and fermentation process are said to neutralize the venom. Instead, the intrepid imbiber may need to be wary of the snake itself springing to life. As recent as 2021, a father home-brewed his own snake whiskey in an attempt to treat his son’s chronic illness. When he went to use it a year later, he was bit by the still-living snake upon opening the bottle. Another woman in China’s Shuangcheng, Heilongjiang Province was bitten by the reptile in her bottle while topping off a glass of snake whiskey she used to treat her rheumatoid arthritis.
