How to Play the Drinking Game Shotgun

Shotgun is no mere drinking game. It tests your engineering skill, aim and ability to absorb beer rapidly in front of a crowd. It challenges your coordination and performance under social pressure. It affords the opportunity to drink 12 ounces of beer in a very short period of time. Get your hardiest beer-drinking friends together with a crowd of onlookers for a great game of skill and bragging.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• A sharp object for punching holes, or improvise using pieces of the beer can or, for more advanced players, your teeth
• At least 2 players, but a group is more fun
• Many cans of cheap, drinkable beer

1. Select an order of play, one drinker at a time. Everyone gets their own can of beer.

2. Watch and heckle if it is not your turn to play. You will also be an official timekeeper.

3. Prepare to move fast if it is your turn. Punch a small hole in your beer can, near the bottom on the side.

4. Cover the hole with your mouth and lift your head up to drink while opening the can at the top.

5. Drink as fast as you possibly can while the other players count your time out loud. Gravity and pressure change will blast the beer out of the container, but your drinking expertise will control the rate of intake and spillage.

6. Score the game generously and subjectively. Carefully weigh soakage, gulp speed and number of beers drunk in your equation. Give extra credit for creative belching. Play until beer or people are gone.

Tips & Warnings

• Huge mouthfuls and rapid gulping can save you from a shirt soaking.

• An empty stomach will be receptive to large amounts of beer, but you'll need something to absorb all the suds. Have some dry food handy, such as chips or popcorn.

• You might want to take the chill off your brew before starting if you are susceptible to ice-cream headaches or "frozen stomach syndrome."

• Don't rule out stage fright. Your reputation is riding on your public performance, so if you are shy in front of a group, Shotgun may not be the drinking game for you.

• Once you pop the beer can, watch out for sharp edges as you drink.

• Shotgun is a high-volume drinking game. Know your limits, be 21 or over, and get someone who isn't drinking to drive you home.