With these bottles of unusual wine produced in Thailand, a tasty tipple comes with a potent bite. The venomous cobra snake is used to make the snake wine but the poison is cancelled out by the alcoholic content of the drink, meaning you’ll avoid a pounding hangover.
Similarly, months of fermenting means the dead scorpion encased in the yellow bottles doesn’t have the same sting in the tail as when it was alive.

Instead, the liquor is considered healthy and seemingly has many health benefits. These rice-based liquors are considered to be a strong natural aphrodisiac.
Are you brave enough to drink snake wine?
I saw these snake-filled bottles, some years ago, when I was at the Golden Triangle and crossed the river to Lao. It was here in the market, but I was not aware this is wine for drinking (yuk – who would want to drink it). In your picture I note the label on the bottle saying “whisky”. But I haven’t seen it in other parts of Thailand like in Bangkok. I wonder. Have you?
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Very nice post 🙂
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Thank you!!
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Wow, Such a wonderful experience.. I’m a fan of wine but with snake in no more
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I agree, I want my wine snake free!!
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Amazing post
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Thank you!!
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Believe it or not, I have actually tried this. I call it Death in a Bottle because that is exactly what it smells like, but I couldn’t go without submitting to peer pressure. It was interesting to say the least!
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Wow, you are so much braver than me!!
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Hmm, I don’t think I am that brave, Janaline! I also think that I wouldn’t even go nearby! You are so courageous and I admire your bravery!
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It looks like something out of a horror movie!! The thought that some of the snake venom might be in the wine is enough to scare me off.
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would I drink it? God no! looks sooooooooooo creepy!
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My friends had of the one from buysnakewine.com but I couldn’t try it.
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I agree….looks like something from a horror movie!
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It looks disgusting to me…
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I am not brave enough to try it.
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I think that they are made in Vietnam, I got 2 bottles from asiansnakewine shop and it’s written vietnam
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I think they are made in a cuple of places in Asia. I have seen them in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and even in China.
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This seems a bit cruel to me, so I would have a hard time giving it a try.
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I think it is super cruel. I dont want to think of the amount of snakes and scorpions that have to die fot this wine. But as long as people keep on buying them for the novelty it will continue.
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I did this in Laos – even bought a bottle that came back with me (not that I ended up drinking from that bottle lol)
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My father is extremely afraid of snakes and I bought hime a small bottle. He refuses to even touch the bottle, much less take a sip from it.
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I’ll pass….lol
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I also passed on this.
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No… I won’t drink it because to my mind it would encourage molesting the animals!
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I agree, it is very cruel and I can only imaine how many snakes and scorpions die for this product every year.
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Donno about snake wine but i love snake soup!!
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Really? I have never tried it. I might be a bit squeemish when it comes to eating bugs and any kind of creepy crawly or slithering creatures.
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Definitely cant do bugs lol
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Yes tried a sip. Not great. And ate a whole snake as well, which was much tastier. But that was in China.
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Oh wow, you are a lot braver than me….
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I won’t want get close to it…
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I am with you on that Amy. The thouht alone scares me. I am not even brave enough to try a tiny sip.
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this is sad 😦 exploitation of the snakes…definitely not, as we’re conservationists. i never knew there was such a thing…thanks for making others aware.
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You find some very strange and cruel traditions out there in the world. This is one that I don’t like and would definitely not condone.
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I would try it. Just don’t tell me what it is until after I do. Besides that, I’m just curious to find out how they got that snake inside the bottle and managed to set it up in that position?
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Oh wow, I have never actually thought about that. If I ever come across these again I am definitely going to ask them how they do this.
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Please do so and then write about it in your blog.
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Oh good grief….No thank you!
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I don’t like snakes and that is definitely too close for comfort.
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Hmmm. I might have a sip…. or a glass. Intriguing. Cheers
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You are quite brave! The thought that there miht be some venom mixed in with the wine scares me.
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Brave or insane; it’s a fine line.
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I’m not sure I could even go in the store. 🙂
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My father is extremely afraid of snakes, so like a good daughter I bouht him one of these for his birthday. We couldn’t even get him back into the room after he opened the box. The first present ever that he refused to accept or allow in his house.
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I don’t blame him in the least!
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I won’t go near the snake bottles 😜 Wouldn’t mind the scorpion drink, though.
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I am too scared to try a sip of either the drinks. I am definitely too squeemish for that. But if you ever get to try the scorpion wine, do let me know what you think of it.
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Don’t agree – you’re more than brave 🙂 If I ever go to this part of the world (hopefully!!!) and try it, I’ll let you know.
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