Syrup used to be stored in large, thick, clay jugs, a gallon or more. These vessels were pored by means of resting them on your shoulder and hooking a finger (or two!) into the loop for control.

These smaller bottles have vestigial loops.

Hook catch to lower the bottle into hot water before serving the syrup warm.

Source: I love me some french toast, waffles, and pancakes.

Wait do non-canadians not have the little sixth digit on their hands for carrying these bottles??

Made for Tommy Shriggly. Can I get a little clap?

So you can string them on a necklace.

Walk through a forest with a couple dozen empties strung around your neck and trees know what the fuck is up.

There so you can hook them to a Carabiner and carry them with you. As is tradition.

one of my uncles told my nephews it was because canadians have a sixth, tiny finger on each hand, it's how you can tell they're from canada. they believed this for years, but I guess it's easy to lie to 5 year olds

I think the shape is supposed to be reminiscent of a gallon jug, where the handle actually fits a grown human's finger. By scaling it down we're left with a handle that feels idiotic.

It makes it easier for the syrup elves to handle the bottles. Most people don’t recognize this part of syrup production and prefer to gloss over the cruelty behind their sweet treat. It can be ethically produced but most producers refuse to comment on their presence of elves in their operation.

It looks like it's for a keychain or carabiner. In case you want a hip flask of syrup, I guess.

it’s to keep the butthole from closing around the top in a manner that would be dangerous.

In Canada, the maple elfs are the ones that collect the syrup. After the great syrup catastropy of 1909, we learned the hard lesson that the elf rings (that is the technical name for these loops) could not exceed a standard unit elf-span. In Canada, we have a saying: "standards and codes are written in syrup. "

I always though it was so you could use a carabiner to buckle it to your belt.

is-is it not where you hold it with your prehensile penis?