Virginia/USA - What was planned as a relaxed evening in a restaurant turned into a nightmare for one woman: when she ordered a cocktail, she found a live snake in it!

This happened to Carletta Andrews from the US state of Virginia.

As People reported, she visited a Mexican restaurant with her husband just over a week ago to enjoy the evening.

Everything was still fine when she ordered, Carletta opted for a margarita.

However, when the waiter brought her the drink, he came with a nasty surprise.

"I leaned over to take a sip when suddenly something hit me on the forehead. I looked at my husband and asked, 'What was that?" she recalled.

When she looked in the glass again, she couldn't believe her eyes: There was a baby snake in her cocktail, wrapped around the straw.

Restaurant staff immediately tried to catch the reptile, but had no luck until another customer simply grabbed it and took it outside.

"I left the restaurant shaking, I was completely traumatized," Carletta told 8 News.

The owners of the restaurant offered her a change of table, but the couple decided to leave.

After the initial shock wore off, Carletta wondered if the mother of the snake might still be in the restaurant.

The owner of the restaurant explained that the animal had probably entered the building through the ventilation system. So far, no precautions have been taken to prevent such incidents in the future.

As the news portal further reported, an inspection last December had already revealed significant defects in the restaurant - including mold, broken door handles and a missing ceiling tile.

However, these defects were rectified within a week.