Who Brought the Snake Whiskey?
Cruising around Ha Long Bay is pure serenity. The last thing on my mind while enjoying this unique paradise was where I could get my hands on some snake whiskey. But, sometimes, interesting things find you. When we joined a group that was going to tour Cat Ba Island, we were excited to see one of the main villages they were taking us through, eat some good food, and do some hiking. We did all of the above and had a great time, but the shops in the village seemed to cater heavily to tourists. From the food they served to the tchotchkes they sold, and the snake whiskey they were pushing.
Extremely remote and still reeling from Covid, I was okay when we sat down for a history lesson of the island from our energetic and entrepreneurial guide, and then the shots started rolling out. There were numerous types of infused spirits, but snake whiskey was the showstopper. With multiple snakes in the jar, cobra and vipers, he poured the shots, and we (by we I mean two of us) gulped down the potent liquid. Our guide had another victim ready to try it, but after smelling it, he backed out.
The Evolution of Snake Whiskey in Asia
From medicine to painkiller to aphrodisiac, snake whiskey has been used for many purposes for over two thousand years. Many historical accounts date the first consumption of snake whiskey to China during the Western Zhou dynasty, where it was believed to reinvigorate a person according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Its newest form of power lies in its ability to bring in tourists as a novelty item. Still, it remains a popular spirit in many Asian cultures, and many swear by it – especially its purported libido-enhancing effects.
I did my best to give it an honest shot, and while it was way smoother than I was expecting, I didn’t experience anything out of the ordinary, shall we say – except wondering what the hell I was doing drinking a shot of a spirit that had been fermenting in a jar of lethal snakes.
Fool Me Once?
Cat Ba in Ha Long Bay was the first time I had snake whiskey, but it wasn’t the last, not even in that same week. After Vietnam, we headed to Laos, where we had a lovely time in Luang Prabang and Vientiane. On a tour to the Pak Ou Caves, our boat pulled into a town called Ban Xang Hai on the way up the Mekong River. Also known as “Whiskey Village” for its beloved rice/snake wine, it also has scorpion, centipede, and millipede wine, and on and on. While a lot of it was over-the-top catering to the boat tours, the town was amazing. And yes, I had snake whiskey again. At least that’s what I was told it was.