Tired of playing beer pong? Try some of our favorite Asian alternatives. (And remember to drink responsibly.)
1. Titanic
You’re probably not going to want to be “the king of the world” in this Korean drinking game.
What you need: A glass, a shot glass and a good circle of friends.
How to play: Set up the larger glass in the center of your circle of inebriants, and fill it up with beer until it’s about halfway full. Place the shot glass inside so that it floats. Players now take turns pouring alcohol into the shot glass. The player who sinks the “Titanic” must down the whole drink.
2. Pinoy Henyo
Influenced by a game show segment in the Philippines, this drinking variation plays the same way, except with drinks and probably many, many expletives.
What you need: At least two pairs of people, paper and pen. Good vocabulary is a bonus.
How to play: Have someone write down random nouns or pronouns onto several pieces of paper, and put those in a pile. Now, separate into teams of two and designate a “guesser” in each pair. Guessers draw from the pile of words and place it on their head, and begin narrowing down their answer by asking questions, like “Is it a food?” The other player helps by answering yes, no or maybe. When the guesser gets the answer, they draw another card and repeat the process until a set time limit elapses – or when your partner quits. The team with the least correct answers drink.
3. Finger Guessing
A Chinese counting game may not be the best thing to play when inebriated, but you’re drunk. Who cares, right?
What you need: At least two people, ability to count.
How to play: Two players will stretch out their fingers, and yell out a number from 1 to 20 at the same time. If there’s three people, the number goes up to 30, and so on. Players who guess higher or equal to the number of fingers extended win the game. Players who guess lower lose and drink.
4. Pocky Game
Anyone who’s seen “Lady and the Tramp” may have imagined themselves in the famous spaghetti scene with one of their crushes. Well, you can make that dream a reality in this Japanese drinking game, though it might be far less romantic.
What you need: A box of Pocky, and at least two people.
How to play: Grab a box of the chocolate-covered biscuit snack, or any of its other flavors. Each player will put one end of the snack into their mouth and munch on it until they can’t, which usually ends on the bad end of beer breath – or locked lips. Players who let go before the biscuit is finished must down their drink.
5. Chicken Head
For those who have a spare chicken head – or, more likely, a pen cap – lying around, try this popular South Asian drinking game
What you need: A group of people, small bowl, plate, anything that points forward.
How to play: Start by getting your group in a circle. Place your “chicken head” on the plate and place the bowl over that. Someone shakes the bowl and plate so that the chicken head is moving around, then reveals it by lifting up the bowl. The person the chicken head is pointing at must down their drink.
6. Horse Race Game
Hopefully you can keep up in this Korean drinking game.
What you need: A group of people.
How to play: To begin the game, players need to drum on the table or their laps, mimicking the the sound of horses on a racetrack (this is done for the entirety of the game). Going around the table, players call out a number starting with one and continue to do so in order. This is your horse number (there will be five horses in a group of five). Now, take turns saying your number “attacks” another – player one usually starts. It’d be like “1 attacks 5.” Then 5 can attack someone by saying “5 attacks 2”- if you’re feeling vindictive, you could still attack horse 1. Play continues until someone misses their turn, and drinks. The person who loses becomes horse 1 for the next round.
What are your favorite Asian drinking games?
