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Drinking from a shoe has historically been performed as both a bringer of good fortune and as a hazing punishment. Drinking champagne from a lady's slipper became a symbol of decadence in the early 20th century.
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Drinking beer out of one's own shoe is a ritual sometimes undertaken at parties and events in Australia, where it is referred to as a "shoey". In 2016 this act was adopted by some motor racing drivers, notably Daniel Ricciardo, performed with champagne on the winner's podium.
Slipper champagne
In the 20th century, the act of drinking champagne from a lady's slipper became a shorthand for decadence and sophistication. The practice is thought to have originated in 1902 at the Everleigh Club, a high-class brothel in Chicago. When a dancer's slipper fell to the floor, a member of Prince Henry of Prussia's entourage picked it up and used it to drink champagne.
Military traditions
Drinking from another soldier's boot was a traditional hazing ritual in the German army, and soldiers would drink from the general's boot after a victory. During World War I, German soldiers were said to pass around a leather boot filled with beer, to bring good luck before a battle. The drinkers would flick the boot before and after taking a drink from it. The idea that drinking from a shoe or boot can bring good fortune dates back to the Middle Ages.
The German Bierstiefeln is a boot-shaped beer glass said to have been created by a Prussian general in an unnamed war who promised his troops that if they were victorious in an upcoming battle, he would drink beer from his own boot. After they won the battle the general had second thoughts, and instead ordered a glass imitation to be made.
In a 1972 episode of the US television series M*A*S*H, titled "Yankee Doodle Doctor", a black and white film is made by the doctors in which they are seen at party drinking from shoes.
The shoey
The "shoey" is a ritual popular in Australia where the drinker either removes their own shoe, or nominates a friend's shoe to be used as the vessel. The shoe is tilted and the entire contents of a can of beer are poured into the shoe's opening. Once the beverage has settled, the beer is drunk by tipping the shoe up to the mouth and chugging it. The drink most commonly used for a shoey is beer, however other alcoholic beverages are also used. Australian Formula One racer Daniel Ricciardo has said "If the sparkling wine is cold, then it tastes good. If it's warm then you might get the sweat through it but the cold taste kills the bad stuff... so it's delicious."
The shoey gained widespread popularity in Australia in 2015, and received media attention in 2016 after MotoGP rider Jack Miller celebrated his first win by drinking from a shoe. Daniel Ricciardo introduced the trend to Formula One when he celebrated a podium finish by performing a shoey and again on the podium of the Belgian Grand Prix, this time sharing it with Mark Webber. On the podium of the Malaysian Grand Prix, winner Ricciardo shared his shoey with his second-placed team mate Max Verstappen and third-placed Nico Rosberg, as well as his team boss Christian Horner. Scottish actor Gerard Butler drank Red Bull from a shoe with Daniel Ricciardo at the US Grand Prix podium. Following a podium at the 2016 San Marino MotoGP round, Italian racer Valentino Rossi became the first non-Australian competitor to embrace and perform a shoey. Ricciardo has attributed the shoey to "a few Aussies called the Mad Hueys", saying that they "basically travel the world fishing and surfing and they like to drink a lot of beer – so that's where the shoey began".
The shoey was popular during the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2016 season when it became a tradition for fans to perform shoeys at games. This coincided with the club winning the premiership at the end of the season, with numerous players such as James Maloney doing shoeys at celebrations.
Commonly, Hash House Harriers who wear new shoes to an event can be required to drink from that shoe.