Drinking Games: Soju Edition
As the weekend slowly approaches, it is time to unwind and reward yourself for your hard work. Whether you drink alcohol or not, why not spice up your night out with a few drinking games? Today, there are countless drinking games for any occasion such as Beer Pong, Flip Cup, and Drunk Jenga; however, Korea takes drinking games to the next level. While some Korean drinking games are easy to play, others may require precision and concentration. Here are the Korean drinking games that involve the nation’s favorite alcohol - Soju:
Titanic
This game is a nerve-wracking but a delicious one. The result? A beautiful and refreshing combination of soju and beer, also known as somaek. To start a game of “Titanic”, you fill a glass halfway with beer. Then, carefully place a soju shot glass into the beer glass, making sure that the soju shot glass stays afloat. One by one, you and your friends take turns pouring soju into the shot glass. The amount of soju each person pours into the shot glass depends on how exciting they want the game to be. Some may start the game with a hefty initial pour, initiating immediate pressure on the next few people, while others play it safe by starting with a small pour. However you may decide to play the game, the one whose pour causes the shot glass to sink has to drink up.
Flick the Cap
“Flick the Cap” is probably the most well-known soju drinking game. When opening a new bottle of soju, a small ring often comes apart from the cap. Simply twist the undone ring until it is a straight coil and take turns flicking the coil. Now, there are a couple of ways to play this game. Some people play in a way where the person to flick the coil off has to drink; whereas, others let the person flicking the coil off safe, making the rest of the group drink. No matter how the game is played, be sure to clarify the rules before starting the game.
High/Low
Following “Flick the Cap” comes “High/Low”. The winner of “Flick the Cap” becomes the moderator of “High/Low”. There should be a number from 1 to 100 inscribed inside of the soju bottle cap. The moderator tells everyone a range in which the mystery number falls between; for example, 1 through 30 or 50 through 90. Everyone around the table takes turns guessing what the mystery number is. After each guess, the moderator indicates if the mystery number is higher or lower. The person to guess the mystery number and the moderator make the others drink.
While these Korean drinking games mainly involve soju, not all Korean drinking games require soju. Many other drinking games play a part in Korean drinking culture. To name just a few other favorite Korean drinking games, there are 3-6-9, Tap, Rabbit Rabbit, and Baskin Robbins 31. Even if you do not drink alcohol, you can play these games using any kind of beverages, making the loser drink a strange concoction. Soju or no soju, which Korean drinking game is your favorite?
As always, have fun, be safe, and drink responsibly!
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