PLAY | Drinking games belong to the golden age of sport.

They’re social, they require endurance, and best of all, they’re not about winning or losing, largely because everybody gets too shit-faced to care.

Here we give you a little history on playing with potent potables, as well as the deets on this favourite pastime of those who love to imbibe.

History: It’s a big fat Greek drinking party

According to Wikipedia, the ancient Greeks were big on booze-fests. One game in particular – Cottabus (or rather, Kottabos) – was huge on the 4^th and 5^th Centuries (BCE) party scene. Variations abound, but Kottabos is basically a wine toss. You have to throw wine from your cup toward a certain mark, usually without breaking the stream, either to produce a noise on impact, fill a vessel or basin, or sink said basin in a pool. Thanks, old-timers. Always ready with the party ideas, they are.

Game type: Speed. Don’t get fancy, just drink!  

The most common and simplest sort of drinking game is about speed. Consumption and endurance, that’s all it is. “Funnelling” is one back-to-basics example. Another is simply taking shots. Last person standing wins.

Want to play? Try an old fashioned boat race. Two relay teams compete in a straightforward chugging contest. Don’t forget to turn your glass over your head when you’re though.

You’ll learn: That beer foam is a surprisingly good hair styling product.

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Game type: Dexterity. Thank God for opposable thumbs.

Games of skill and dexterity – like the aforementioned Bapi of party boozing, Kottabos – are fun because the skills necessary to succeed rapidly diminish as each game goes on.

Want to play? Try Speed Quarters. Better than the take-turns original, in this version, at least five players sit in a circle around a common cup. Two players seated opposite each other are given two quarters each (though other coins will also do), which they attempt to bounce into the central cup. When someone succeeds, they immediately pass their quarter to the person sitting on the left. The object is to bounce fast, because if you end up with more than one quarter in your possession at a time, you must chug.

You’ll learn: You snooze, you lose.

Game type: Screen Time. The medium isn’t the message.

The origins of the television drinking game are unclear, but booze and the “boob tube” are an undoubtedly ingenious pairing. Usually, players drink when a particular event occurs – such as when someone wears a mini-skirt on The OC, for example, or when a dude talks down to his female partner on The Amazing Race.

Want to play? Get creative. Drinking can be seamlessly combined with almost any show. Just remember, if you decide on more than one cue, the size of the drink should be inversely proportional to the expected frequency of said cue. An event that is rare calls for a sizable chug-a-lug, while a more-likely occurrance may warrant only a wee sip.

You’ll learn: Very little. You’ve just combined two of North America’s most idiotic pastimes.

Game type: Rhythm & Memory. How did I get here?

In games that rely on rhythm and memory, each player must repeat a series of events or words, usually growing in complexity as the game wears on. If a player repeats the series incorrectly – bottoms up.

Want to play? Try Fuzzy Duck. Players seated in a circle must alternately utter the phrases “fuzzy duck” and “ducky fuzz”. You may also choose to say, “Does he?” causing the direction of play to reverse. Get it wrong, abuse the “does he?” function or break the rhythm, and you’re on the road to drunk-town.

You’ll learn: What a spoonerism is. (Dirty!)

Game type: Card & Die. Better with a full deck.

Adding a little happy juice to a traditional card or dice game is a good way to fend off visions of a geriatric future of Bridge at the retirement home. A lot of existing card games lend themselves well to alcohol, but creativity may yield the best results.

Want to play? Try Beer Blow, which is arguably one of the simplest card/drinking games ever. All you need is an empty bottle and a deck. Place the deck on the bottle and take turns trying to blow cards off the top of the deck. If you blow off the last card, you’re it. You’ll learn: Perhaps to drink less? Let’s be real. Drinking games aren’t educational events. Just pile those cards back up and keep playing till your face falls off. Eventually, if you’re lucky, you’ll grow up a little and none of this will remain of interest.

This “Drinking games to try today” piece is another absolute-trash filler article written for Dose magazine, pre-launch, March 2005. They used to have this section called “Imbibe” and I was constantly trying to fill the space. I don’t care much about drinking so it was always a struggle. Culture and trends stuff is here.