If someone sitting next to Josh ordered the same beverage, would that person have paid $5? Yes, almost undoubtedly
If Josh ordered another serving, would it cost him $5, or the larger “rent deposit” amount? unanswerable, note, there is approximate zero chance of Josh getting another serving that night
Did Josh pay in cash? Yes
OK seems to be a discrepancy: you say any 40% ABV drink will count, but also that it needs to be made with a particular ingredient. I think the only common ingredient in all spirits is water. Is water the ingredient you referred to? No, let’s call it an ‘extra’ ingredient
Would a bourbon and a vodka both work? Yes
Was Josh known to the bartender or bar owner outside of being a customer of the business?
Did Josh owe money to the bar? Was he recognized by his choice of drink?
No, to all
Did Josh get sick after drinking his rent deposit drink? Have some other adverse consequence?
When you say there’s no chance of Josh getting another drink … is that because the bar would be unwilling to sell to him? Or unable to?
Is the ‘particular ingredient’ the drink is made from a solid? Something else that doesn’t mix with alcohol? Is it a body part?
Did Josh get sick after drinking his rent deposit drink? Have some other adverse consequence? No, I don’t think so.
When you say there’s no chance of Josh getting another drink … is that because the bar would be unwilling to sell to him? Or unable to? Unwilling
Is the ‘particular ingredient’ the drink is made from a solid? Yes
Something else that doesn’t mix with alcohol? Is it a body part? Yes
Is it that drink with a toe in it?
Yes! I think we’re very close. What did Josh do!!!
Did he… eat the toe?
Yes!
(graphic images in links)
Josh (from New Orleans as it happened) was in the Yukon, home of the famous Sour Toe cocktail. This drink of infamy features a mummified toe and you get a certificate if you drink your drink and your lips touch the toe. The fine for damaging or losing the toe was $500.
Josh, having gotten his rent deposit back was trying to decide between buying a round of drinks for patrons at a different bar, or going to the “Downtown Hotel” and ‘swallow the toe.’ He decided on the latter, ordered the drink, swallowed the drink in one gulp, chugged a beer, slammed $500 down on the table, and walked out of the bar.
The facility had a spare toe, but the ‘fine’ for drinking the toe has since been increased to $2500.
Oh and originally you could get the toe in all sorts of drinks including beers and champagne, but health inspectors have limited the practice to beverages of 40% abv or above.
Health inspectors have … signed off on the practise of drinking a drink with a mummified toe in it. Including the possibility that someone might eat the toe, since this has in fact happened.
EWWWW!
(good puzzle though)
“It’s all Greek to me” said Mike, and earned a place in the history books. What happened?
Is this to do with the Rosetta stone?
Does this relate to spoken language?
Does this relate to written language?
Was the language, in fact, Greek?
Specifically: Is this about the Linear B script?
Canada, amirite?
Did Mike say this in English?
No/Yes/Yes/Yes … you know this one already, right? I knew at least one person on the boards did, because it was mentioned in the “good biographies” thread.
Michael Ventris and the decipherment of Linear B (which is, yes, Greek)
I didn’t know any specifics about the individual who figured it out, but I knew the general story, that it was a script that was mysterious for a long time until someone figured out that it was just transliterated Greek.
Aw. Died so young.