A raccoon that went viral last week after he broke into a Virginia liquor store and helped himself to bottles of scotch and whisky has now been honored by the store with his very own namesake cocktails.
Staff arrived at the store last Saturday to find bottles smashed, ceiling tiles destroyed, and pools of alcohol on the floor. Exploring the crime scene a little further, the staff discovered the masked bandit passed out drunk on the bathroom floor.
The staff later called animal control, who transported the raccoon to an animal shelter.
“I personally like raccoons,” Samantha Martin, an officer who works at the local animal control, told the Associated Press. “They are funny little critters. He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything.”
“After a few hours of sleep and zero signs of injury (other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices), he was safely released back to the wild, hopefully having learned that breaking and entering is not the answer,” The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter said.
Party animal raccoon inspires fundraising campaign and new cocktails
While staff said the raccoon caused significant damage, it has also inspired the shelter to launch a new fundraising campaign to support its services. As of Saturday, the campaign raised nearly $100,000.
The liquor store was also inspired by their trashed trash panda visitor, and has announced it will begin selling Rye Rascal Sour, Trash Panda Old Fashioned, and Midnight Gin Fizz cocktails.
The raccoon has also begun appearing in their marketing materials and has seemingly become the company's unofficial mascot.