Scorpion & snake shots in Laos

Shots of the strangest order, a brief extract from a story on Asia’s weirdest tipples.

When it comes to strange liquors Laos really does take some beating, although the more bizarre of the offerings that you’ll find are generally reserved for tourists rather than locals.

There are a number of variations of these predominantly rice founded and fermented “whiskies & wines” to be found, with the Mekong River Eel Wine being the most famous. 

This wine, which is actually more of a lightly golden coloured spirit is made by fermenting the rice with river eels and ginseng roots thrown into the mix, and it has a throat burning and shudder inducing snare to it.

Along with this you are also likely to see several bottles or huge jars of similar mixes on offer; some with cobras in, others with scorpions or just about any other venomous beast you could imagine.