One of the most confusing images from childhood is that of a Saint Bernard with the little barrel around its neck. (It was a staple in old tyme cartoons.)

Eventually, your parents would explain that the Saint Bernard was from Switzerland, where giant dogs roam around the Alps with booze in their barrels looking for stranded travelers. The booze, the story goes, warms up the travelers and saves their lives.

Well, thanks to those glorious bastards at Mythbusters another good story bites the dust.

It turns out that drinking booze can actually lower your core temp, speeding up the freezing-to-death process.

So, if you’re stranded in the Swiss Alps and get found by a Saint Bernard with a barrel around its neck, don’t drink from it. If, however, you are at a party with someone wearing this Saint Bernard costume, you may drink from the barrel- at your own risk. I’d still probably recommend against it.

Source: Second-hand description of a Mythbusters Episode