The British pop star downed a 'shoey' in February in front of thousands of fans in Perth. "This is one of the most disgusting traditions I've ever heard of," he told the Perth stadium.

The shoey has been a staple of sporting events and live music in Australia for years, with crowds insisting stars like Post Malone, Sir Patrick Stewart, Stormzy and Machine Gun Kelly have a celebratory drink out of a shoe.

Australian Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo is credited with popularising the shoey on the international stage.

"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," the Aussie champ said.

This famous cultural practice is usually undertaken by men. But in recent times prominent Aussies include former Australian of the Year Grace Tame have participated in the stinky drink.

And, a group of Australians almost caused an international incident after stripping down to their budgie smugglers and having a shoey in Malaysia in 2016.

The "Budgie Nine" as they were called were arrested in Malaysia after publicly stripping and drinking beer from their shoes following Daniel Ricciardo's Grand Prix win. The group were not convicted.

Drinking from boots or even high heels is a tradition with origins in Europe.

Drinking from another soldier's boot was a hazing ritual in the German army, and soldiers would drink from the general's boot after a victory. The German drinking tradition 'Das Boot' involves passing an enormous glass boot filled with German beer around a table until it is empty.

In the early twentieth century, drinking champagne from a woman's slipper was said to be a symbol of decadence.

By the late 19th century, Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet fans may have drunk straight vodka from their favorite ballerinas' satin slippers.

A divisive trend for some, drinking from a sweaty boot is among Australia's most famous recent cultural exports.