UK Man Dies After Attempting 21-Cocktail Challenge At Jamaican Bar

British man dies in Jamaica after attempting to drink all 21 cocktails during a family trip.

A British man, on a family holiday, died after he tried a 21-cocktail challenge at a Jamaican bar. The task entailed drinking each of the 21 cocktails on the bar's menu. Before arriving at his hotel at the Royal Decameron Club Caribbean in Saint Ann, 53-year-old Timothy Southern of Staffordshire managed to try 12 of the tempting mixtures. Unfortunately, his evening took an unfavourable turn as he developed "acute gastroenteritis," a severe consequence of his excessive alcohol consumption.

When Timothy's tragic passing was being investigated, disturbing information came to light. He had drunk brandy and beer in the morning before starting the cocktail challenge. It was in the company of two Canadian women celebrating a birthday and partaking in the same feat that Timothy decided to join their quest, striving to conquer the challenge before midnight.

Timothy's condition worsened in his hotel room where as he choked, his frightened family members tried to help. One of his relatives said, "He was on his back choking. I put him in the recovery position and screamed for an ambulance. He was making a gurgling sound. As soon as he was in the recovery position, he vomited. I was shouting his name with no response."

The family was extremely disappointed with the hotel's first responders' and felt their aid was completely insufficient following the incident. They called the service "appalling," and criticised the lack of preparation. One of the relatives said, "When the nurse arrived, I asked if an ambulance had been called, she said ‘no.’ I thought she would take over. But that was not the case. I noticed he was starting to lose temperature. I checked his pulse and couldn’t find it." 

There were multiple versions of the nurse's evaluation of Timothy's health. Another one of the family members said, "She said he had a pulse. I was starting to lose it. I got a full look at his face and I thought he had passed away."

Following this tragic death, the grieving family started a moving GoFundMe campaign with the slogan "Please help bring our Dad home from Jamaica." The initiative aims to raise the $15,000 needed to return Timothy's remains, with a current total of £9,000 raised.