Twenty-eight games, curated by the committee. House rules: seltzer counts as a drink, water between rounds is a power move, nobody has to drink anything, and the boat pours light. Pick a game:
Need: two chairs · one shoe from each of them
Judy and Payam sit back to back, each holding one of their own shoes and one of the other's. The host asks "who" questions — "Who said I love you first?" "Who's the better driver?" "Who takes longer to get ready?" — and they answer by raising the matching shoe.
The drinking part: shoes disagree → the couple drinks. Shoes match → everyone else drinks. The crowd keeps score out loud.
Need: the pre-collected answer list (Jenny has it)
Before the weekend, Payam and Judy each answered a list of questions separately. On the boat, read Payam's answer aloud and Judy has to guess what he said — then swap.
The drinking part: guess wrong → the guesser drinks. Guess right → everyone else drinks.
Need: nothing but nerve
Everyone holds up five fingers. Go in a circle saying "never have I ever…" — anyone who has done it drops a finger and drinks. Starters: …cried at a wedding · …been kicked out of a bar · …lied about their number · …fallen asleep at a party · …sent a text they instantly regretted.
Out of fingers? You're the most interesting person in the room. Drink to that too.
Need: the whole crew in one room
Someone reads a prompt — "most likely to lose their phone tonight," "most likely to cry during the toasts," "most likely to befriend a total stranger" — and on three, everyone points at someone. Every finger pointing at you = one sip.
Pro move: write prompts in advance and keep them secret until game time.
Need: nothing but nerve
Whisper a question to the person beside you whose answer is someone in the room — "who's most likely to fall asleep first tonight?" They answer OUT LOUD with just the name.
The twist: the named person can drink to have the question revealed — or stay paranoid forever.
Need: a table's worth of people
Everyone puts their head down. On a count of three, all look up and stare directly at someone else.
Locked eyes with someone staring back? You both yell “MEDUSA!” and drink. Heads down, go again.
Need: nothing but memory
Count to 21 around the circle, one number each. Reach 21 → everyone toasts “cheers to the governor!” and that person invents a rule for a number — “7 is now meow,” “swap 5 and 15,” “11 in a British accent.”
Mess up any rule → drink, restart at 1. By round five, counting to 21 is the hardest thing anyone's ever done.
Need: clear speech (for now)
Go around saying “fuzzy duck.” At any point someone may say “does he?” — which reverses direction, and now everyone says “ducky fuzz.”
Say the wrong thing (you will) → drink. Sounds dumb. Undefeated since 1985.
Need: brains, allegedly
Pick a category — 90s one-hit wonders, pizza toppings, wedding movies, cities in Europe — and go around naming one each, fast.
Blank, repeat, or stall → drink and pick the next category.
Need: a group with history
Tell three stories; one is a lie. The room votes. Guess wrong → the guessers drink. Fool the whole room → everyone drinks to you.
Tip: the best lies are 90% true. The best truths sound like lies.
Need: questions you can't ask sober
Take turns asking anyone at the table anything. They answer honestly — or drink and keep their secrets.
House rule: the table decides if an answer was real. Weaponize responsibly.
Need: quick wits
Speak only in questions, around the circle: “Why are we playing this?” “Shouldn't you know?” “Do I look like I know?”
Make a statement, hesitate, or laugh → drink and the next round starts with you.
Need: pen · scraps of paper
Everyone writes the most unhinged sentence they can. Fold, mix, then take turns drawing and reading one aloud — with a completely straight face.
Smile, smirk, or lose it → drink.
Need: pen · paper · two teams
Each team writes prompts for the other — “a flamingo on ice skates,” “assembling furniture with no instructions,” “winning the lottery but staying quiet about it.” Act it out, no words, one minute.
Team guesses it → other team drinks. Time runs out → your team drinks.
Need: deck of cards · one big cup in the middle
Fan the deck face-down around the center cup. Take turns drawing: A waterfall · 2 you — pick who drinks · 3 me — you drink · 4 floor — last to touch it drinks · 5 guys drink · 6 girls drink · 7 heaven — last hand up drinks · 8 mate — pick a buddy who drinks when you do · 9 rhyme — first to blank drinks · 10 categories — first to blank drinks · J make a rule · Q question master · K pour some of your drink into the king's cup.
The kicker: whoever draws the fourth king drinks the center cup.
Need: deck of cards
Round 1: dealer asks each player four questions — red or black? higher or lower? inside or outside the first two? name the suit? Wrong = drink, right = give a drink. Round 2: deal a pyramid, one row at a time; match a card in your hand to the flipped card and hand out drinks (more rows up = more drinks).
The finale: whoever's left holding the most cards rides the bus — higher/lower through ten straight cards, drinking and restarting on every miss.
Need: deck of cards
Dealer flips a card. Guess if the next is higher or lower. Right → pass the choice on. Wrong → drink, and the deck stays with you.
Five right in a row → make a rule and hand the deck to anyone. Ties are dealer's choice.
Need: deck of cards · a table for the track
The four aces are horses. Everyone bets sips on a suit (2 to 10 of them). Flip cards off the deck — each suit flipped moves that ace one length down the table.
Your horse wins → give out double your bet. Loses → drink your bet. A commentator voice is mandatory equipment.
Need: two dice
Someone rolls to become the Three Man. Then take turns: any 3 (a die or the sum) → Three Man drinks. Doubles → give out that many sips. 7 → the person before you drinks. 11 → the person after you.
Roll doubles twice in a row → you can pass the Three Man crown. Nobody wants the crown. That's the game.
Need: five dice · three rolls each
In three rolls, lock a 6 (ship), then a 5 (captain), then a 4 (crew) — in that order. Your last two dice are the cargo; their total is your score.
Lowest cargo each round drinks. No ship by roll three → drink double.
Need: plastic cups · a table · two teams
Two even teams line up on opposite sides of the table, one cup each with a splash of drink. First players drink, set the cup mouth-up on the table's edge, then flick the rim to flip it upside-down. Only when it lands does the next teammate start.
The drinking part: is the game. Losing team refills and goes again. Best of five settles everything.
Need: 12+ cups · ping-pong balls · a table
Ten cups in a triangle each end, a splash of drink in every cup (prosecco makes it a bachelorette). Take turns throwing — sink a ball, that cup's owner drinks it and pulls it. Elbows behind the table's edge, rebounds are house-rule territory.
Win condition: clear their triangle first. Losers rack the next round.
Need: a quarter · a sturdy glass
Bounce the quarter off the table into the glass. Make it → point at who drinks, then shoot again. Miss → pass the quarter left.
Three makes in a row → invent a rule. Classic for a reason.
Need: lots of cups · 2 balls · a rowdy circle
Everyone circles the table, cups scattered center with a splash in each. Two players (opposite sides) race to bounce a ball into an empty cup. Sink it first try → hand cup and ball to anyone; otherwise → pass to your left.
The slap: if the person beside you is still shooting when you sink yours, slap their cup across the room — they drink a center cup and the race continues. Loud. Extremely loud.
Need: a Jenga set · a marker
Before playing, write a rule on every block: "take 2 sips," "swap drinks," "make a rule," "waterfall," "sing the chorus of the last song you heard." Pull a block, obey the block, stack it on top.
Topple the tower → finish your drink and rebuild it for the next round.
Need: two teams · light drinks in cups
Two lines face off. First sailors drink, flip their empty cup upside down on the table, and only then may the next teammate start. First line to finish, wins.
Naming rights: losing team addresses the winners as “Captain” for one full hour. Light pours only — it's a sprint.
Need: a playlist · a timer · light drinks
One sip every time the song changes, for one hour. Put a playlist on shuffle and let it referee. Someone's phone announces the halfway mark; the last song is a group toast.
Survivor's tip: this is a beer-and-seltzer game, not a tequila game.
Need: a playlist on shuffle
Play a song. First to shout artist and title assigns two sips. Shout wrong → sip yourself and you're locked out of that round.
Whoever queued the song can't guess — but drinks proudly if nobody else gets it.
