How the 'shoey' became an unlikely Aussie tradition

It wouldn't be an Aussie celebration without a 'shoey' – the act of drinking alcohol from a shoe.

Everyone from Kylie Minogue to Harry Styles and Lizzo have partaken in a tipple.

But while Australia has claimed the bizarre practice as its own, drinking from a shoe is actually thought to date back hundreds, if not thousands of years.

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Drinking from a shoe or boot is believed to date back to the Middle Ages, when it was thought to bring good luck.

By WWI, German soldiers were said to share a drink from a leather boot filled with beer to bring luck on the battlefield. 

During WWII, a shoey was a hazing ritual in the German army. Drinking from a general's boot also became customary after a victory.

In fact, the German Bierstiefel is a boot-shaped beer glass that was thought to have been created by a Prussian general to celebrate a victory.

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By the 20th century, drinking champagne from a lady's slipper became a party trick.

The practice is thought to have originated in 1902 at a high-class brothel in the US city of Chicago. 

A member of Prince Henry of Prussia's entourage reportedly picked up a dancer's slipper that fell to the floor and used it to drink champagne.

Later use of the 'shoey' saw a drinker use their shoe or someone else's as a vessel to consume alcohol, usually as a celebration.

Hungarian actor Mickey Hargitay, the father of Law & Order SVU's Mariska Hargitay, drank champagne from the shoe of his bride, actress Jayne Mansfield, on their 1958 wedding day.

The 'shoey' first started to be linked to Australia a decade ago when Aussie Supercars driver David Reynolds won the first non-endurance race of his career in 2015 and proceeded to drink champagne from his shoe on the podium.

The following year, MotoGP rider Jack Miller celebrated his first win by drinking champagne from his racing boot.

Other motorsport stars soon joined the trend, which really took off when Aussie Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo celebrated with a shoey at the 2016 German Grand Prix.

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He continued the practice at future events, even sharing a shoey with other drivers and teammates, including Mark Webber, Max Verstappen and Red Bull boss Christian Horner.

By 2016, rugby league fans were getting in on the act, with the shoey becoming popular amongst fans at Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks NRL games.

When the team went on to win that year's grand final, players, including James Maloney, enjoyed a shoey.

Other sportsmen, including AFL players, cricketers and marathon runners, both here and overseas, were soon partaking in a shoey.

Of course, it didn't take long for visiting celebrities to start enjoying a shoey on stage as a way to bond with their Aussie fans.

Among the first was British singer Harry Styles, who drank from a shoe during his concert in Perth during his 2023 Aussie tour.

That same year, rapper Post Malone set an unofficial record for the most shoeys when he downed seven during a concert in Brisbane.

Lizzo succumbed to crowd pressure to partake in a shoey during a 2023 show at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena.

"I take a drink from my shoe?" she asked the audience.

"Is that what you're saying?"

Before taking a swig of tequila from a black sparkly boot, Lizzo quipped "This is f---ed up" before adding "Here goes nothing, b----".

Even Kylie Minogue was coerced into doing a shoey at The BRIT Awards in 2024.

Minogue was due to receive a global icon award when the show's host Roman Kemp sought her out in the crowd.

After crouching at her table, he asked a shocked Minogue if she would join him for a shoey before pouring her own Rosé into two high heels he popped on the table.

But someone you won't see taking a shoey is Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

He was speaking on ABC Radio Sydney soon after Minoque's shoey incident when presenter Craig Reucassel admitted he feared the shoey was becoming the international symbol of Australia, and asked Albanese if he would follow the trend.

"I'm far too neat and far too clean, it's something that I would never do," he said.

"I think it's a bit weird myself," he continued, before adding, "I am not judgmental about it, mind you."

While celebrities no doubt use a brand new shoe, others drink from their own, used shoe. 

And as for the taste, Ricciardo once had this to say: "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."

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