Jenga is a deceptively straightforward game that rewards a steady hand and nerves of steel. Players take it in turns to remove one wooden brick at a time from a tower that, to begin with, is stacked 18 bricks tall and 3 bricks wide; once a brick has been removed, it must then be placed on top of the tower, meaning that the structure gradually gets taller and less architecturally sound as the game wears on.

Play continues until someone knocks the tower over, at which point the culprit is eliminated from the game. The remaining players then rebuild the tower and start over until only one person remains.

As anyone who's ever played Jenga will tell you, this simple tabletop game frequently becomes as tense as a round of Russian roulette (and the longer the tower stays standing, the tenser things get). Throwing alcohol into the mix may help to calm your nerves, although a round of the Jenga drinking game tends not to last anywhere near as long as the regular, sober version. Jenga requires precision and steadiness, and booze isn't exactly known for sharpening either of these attributes!

That being said, the Jenga drinking game is still a tonne of clumsy, clattering fun - here are the rules in case you fancy getting the blocks out at your next party...

Jenga Drinking Game - Rules of Play

You will need:

• 1 x standard Jenga set (consisting of 54 rectangular wooden blocks)
• At least 2 players (this version of the game works best with 3-4 people, but more can play if you want)
• A steady supply of your favourite alcoholic beverage!

Got all that? Great - now let's play!

• Start by building the Jenga tower. Place 3 bricks in a row with the long sides touching; then place another 3 bricks on top. Your second layer should be placed at a 90-degree angle to your first layer. Continue placing layer upon layer, alternating direction so that no two consecutive layers are facing in the same direction. You should end up with a tower that looks like this:

Image source: college.library on flickr

• Pour everyone a drink. (Please drink responsibly - know your limits and stop when you feel you've had enough. Visit drinkaware.com for more information.)
  
  
• Starting with the clumsiest person at the table - or the youngest player if you can't agree on who's the clumsiest - players take it in turns to remove a single block from the tower (the top 3 layers are off-limits!) and place it on top. When placing blocks on top of the tower, be sure to continue alternating brick direction from one layer to the next.

• After you have successfully removed a brick from the Jenga tower, you may nominate another player to take a sip of their drink.
  
  
• Play continues clockwise around the table until the tower topples over. When that happens, the players whose turn it was must immediately finish their drink.
  
  
• When one round is over, simply rebuild the tower and start again! You don't have to eliminate the loser if they're keen to continue playing.

Optional Rules / Variants

There are lots of different ways to play Jenga, so if you want to make the Jenga drinking game a little more challenging, try adding some or all of the following rules:

• On your turn, you MUST take the first brick you touch, even if you immediately realise that you've made a huge mistake. Alternatively, you may change your mind...but you must take a sip as payment for your mulligan.
  
  
• Before the game begins, write a dare / forfeit on some or all of the bricks. (Don't write on Jenga bricks that don't belong to you!) When a player removes a brick from the tower, they must perform the forfeit written on that brick, if any. Example forfeits might include taking off an item of clothing or answering embarrassing questions from the other players. (You may wish to add an extra rule that allows people to swap these dares for a drinking penalty if they don't want to do them.)
  
  
• Time limits! When it's another players turn, everyone else counts down from 10, out loud, in unison ("Ten! Nine! Eight!..."). If the countdown reaches zero during your turn, you must finish your drink and refill before finishing your move. Alternatively, if there are only two of you, you could incorporate a chess clock into your game like these two guys:

Already mastered drinking Jenga? Need a new alcohol-fuelled challenge? Try one of our beer pong sets!

Other Drinking Games

Ultimate American Style Beer Pong Set

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Original Beer Pong Kit

was: £9.50
Now: £7.75

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Party Beer Pong Set

was: £9.99
Now: £8.25

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Twist Pong Set

was: £9.99
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We’re sure there has been a moment in your life when you and your partner have longed to do more than just sip wine and eat cheese like civilised adults. Before this moment, you may have also thought drinking games were purely to be played with a large group of friends - but you would be mistaken! There are actually multiple fun drinking games for couples and so, we’ve put together a list of our favourites and broken down how you can play each one.

Here’s a few you can play with just you and your loved one:

Snapshot 

Snapshot is an ideal drinking game for couples as the traditional version (snap) is played with just two players. Snapshot is the all-grown-up version of snap, with the welcomed addition of alcohol! We’re sure you can probably guess how this is played, but here are the rules for your reference:

• Split the deck between you and your love with the cards facing down.
• Taking it in turns, each player should take a card from their set ensuring that neither player can see the card until it is on top of the pack. At the last moment, the card must then be turned over.
• When two cards of the same value are displayed the first person to shout ‘snap!’ and place their hand on top of the pack wins all the cards on the table. With this adult edition, the loser of each round must take a shot.
• When an incorrect snap is made, that person must take a shot too. Try to keep your nerve!
• At the end of the game, the loser of the entire game must take two shots and remove an article of clothing. (Sounds interesting now, huh?)
• 
  

  Russian Roulette 
  
  

For this less alarming take on a truly terrifying game, no revolvers are needed – just a rather large shot of vodka. This is another great drinking game for couples because the intensity is at its highest when the chances of receiving the shot are 50/50.

Here’s how you play:

• Fill as many shot glasses as you like with water (or a similarly clear liquid) and one with vodka.
• Take it in turns to shuffle the glasses while the other player closes their eyes. This is to ensure there is not even a whiff of cheating.
• Each player then takes it in turns to drink the shot in front of them, moving the shots one place to the left after they have taken their turn.
• When the unfortunate souls gets the shot, they also have to perform a dare – doubly cruel, we know.

Fast Questions Drinking Game

The Fast Questions drinking game can be hilarious when played as a couple, as you both know exactly how to push each other’s buttons. If you’re playing with shots, we would recommend laying a few out in front of you before starting the game as we’re sure you’ll be drinking quite a few!

How to play:

• Each player must take it in turns to be the question master and must ask the other player yes or no questions.
• The half of the couple who is answering the questions HAS to answer within 2 to 4 seconds with a yes or no.
• If there is a hesitation or anything other than yes or no is said, then the player has to take a shot.
• Any laughing or hesitation constitutes taking a shot too.
• If a question is repeated the questioner must take a drink instead. It has to be fair!
  
  

Flip, Sip or Strip 

The stripping aspect of this game is what makes it one of the best drinking game for couples. Who else would you want to get drunk and partially naked with? This game is super easy and fun to play too, making it a definite contender for any intimate night in.

How to play:

• Flip a coin and have your partner guess the result.
• If they guess correctly on their first go it is their turn to flip.
• If they do not guess correctly, you should keep flipping the coin until they get it right, or until the coin has been flipped a maximum of three times
• If they get it right on the second try, they must answer any question you have. (This can be any burning or embarrassing question you’ve been dying to ask)
• If your partner gets it right on the third attempt, they must take a shot.
• If they get it wrong three times, they must take a shot and remove an article of clothing making the game all the more interesting!

We hope some of these games take your fancy and you and your partner have an intimate (and competitive) night in. It goes without saying, but make sure you drink responsibly and don’t let your partner lose too many times!

Other Drinking Games

Ultimate American Style Beer Pong Set

was: £9.50
Now: £7.75

Buy Now

Original Beer Pong Kit

was: £9.50
Now: £7.75

Buy Now

Party Beer Pong Set

was: £9.99
Now: £8.25

Buy Now

Twist Pong Set

was: £9.99
Now: £8.25

Buy Now

While playing a particularly intense game of throwing ping pong balls into beer cups, have you ever found yourself wondering what the history of beer pong is? Your answer may be no, as your thoughts were most likely drowning in alcohol at that point, so we’re going to save you the trouble and educate you now. You can thank us later! This slightly confusing history of beer pong will provide you with some annoyingly good trivia to share with your friends, and become the group know-it-all.

The Feud

If you refer to Wikipedia for your research, you will find that Dartmouth College apparently invented beer pong somewhere between the 1950s-1960s. Controversially, Bucknell University also claims that they were the creators of the game back in the 1970s. To add more controversy, they also apparently named it ‘throw pong’.  (Is it still the same game if it has a different name? Out of beer pong and throw pong I know which one I’d prefer to play).

The Method

To tell the full history of beer pong, apparently, the game was originally played at Dartmouth with a net and paddles too, explaining the ‘pong’ part of the name. Bucknell claims that they invented the paddle-free version of the game, and thus should gain the reigning crown of beer pong originators.

The Slightly Confusing Addition

Some of you may also know ‘Beer Pong’ as ‘Beirut’. It is the same as beer pong, just weirdly named after the Lebanese capital. Why, you ask? Quite frankly, no one knows. Some say it may be to do with the Lebanese civil war in the 1980’s, but we cannot fathom for the life of us why it would be named after that. Beer pong is fun; a civil war is a distinctly not fun. But we thought you should be aware of the name change nonetheless.

To Summarise 

The history of beer pong is somewhat confusing and downright strange at times, but there you have it. Our theory is that no one can remember where or why Beer Pong originated because they were all too good at playing the game and wiped their minds of any memory with intoxication. What’s your theory? We’d love to hear about it!

Other Drinking Games

Ultimate American Style Beer Pong Set

was: £9.50
Now: £7.75

Buy Now

Original Beer Pong Kit

was: £9.50
Now: £7.75

Buy Now

Party Beer Pong Set

was: £9.99
Now: £8.25

Buy Now

Twist Pong Set

was: £9.99
Now: £8.25

Buy Now

March is a wonderful month. Not only is spring approaching, St Patrick’s Day is too! In true festive spirit, we’ve searched far and wide to compile a list of the best Irish drinking games out there. No cards are needed for these group drinking games, all you need to do is bring yourself (and maybe a potato, but we’ll explain that later).

Blarney’s Beer Pong Drinking Game

We’re not certain who Blarney is, but apparently, he’s charming and we can certainly get behind this St Patrick’s Day Irish drinking game. If you’ve not played beer pong before, here’s a list of all the beer pong rules you need:

Beer Pong Rules

We recommend making it more festive by requesting everyone playing speaks in an Irish accent for the duration of the game. Warning: This may get more difficult the more alcohol is consumed.

Shot Potato

Stand in a circle with a group of your rowdiest friends, find yourself a potato, stick on some classic St Patrick’s day tunes and prepare some shots ready for when the party starts. Any ideas as to how this game works? That’s right! You guessed it. Pass the potato around the circle and when the music stops, whoever is holding the potato has to begrudgingly take a shot. To take the edge off the alcohol, we recommend using our Ice Shot Glasses Mould to help it go down easily! The best part about this game is that no one gets eliminated, so you can continue to play until you are suitably ready to start dancing the Irish jig.

St. Patrick Says

Similar to Simon Says in name, and similar in… pretty much everything else. Except this time, it’s played in a bar and not at a children’s party. St Patrick is notoriously more ruthless than sweet Simon, so be sure to listen to everything he says! In our own added twist, if a member of the party fails to comply with St Patrick’s rules more than 3 times, they have to down their entire drink as punishment. (We would recommend using our Ultimate Beerbong to ensure this is the case, but maybe you’re not as harsh!)

Drink While You Think

If you’re bad at thinking on the spot, you may want to step out of this round. The rules of this Irish drinking game are to choose a category (so general celebrities, or in traditional St Patrick’s Day style, famous Irish people) and the first player starts by stating the name of a celebrity. If they said ‘Seamus Heaney’, the next player will then have to think of a celebrity’s name starting with the first letter of the previous celebrity’s surname. Difficult, right?

The Belfast and The Furious

We included this one because it made us laugh quite a lot. This Irish drinking game is ideal to play after you have played the first four listed, as by this time you will be distinctly intoxicated and ready to challenge someone to a one block ‘drag race’. No cars are involved, only feet. According to the rules, men must borrow a pair of high heels – no exceptions.

We hope you enjoy the games as much as we did writing about them! Have a fantastic St Patrick’s Day and be sure to drink responsibly..

Other Drinking Games

Ultimate American Style Beer Pong Set

was: £9.50
Now: £7.75

Buy Now

Original Beer Pong Kit

was: £9.50
Now: £7.75

Buy Now

Party Beer Pong Set

was: £9.99
Now: £8.25

Buy Now

Twist Pong Set

was: £9.99
Now: £8.25

Buy Now

There’s nothing like an excuse to enjoy your favourite alcoholic beverage, and luckily there are plenty of reasons to celebrate throughout 2017! To help you plan your drinking diary, we’ve put together a handy calendar, which features international and national drink days for 2017!

While holidays such St Patrick’s Day and Christmas are often linked with celebratory drinks, there are also many international drink days which have been specifically created, to pay homage to the many alcoholic beverages we enjoy throughout the world. From wines to whiskeys, you’re sure to find the perfect excuse to enjoy your favourite tipple on our list!

January

While many decide to lay off the booze after a heavy spell of drinking in December, in order to take part in ‘Dry January’, there are a few incentives for those of you who aren’t giving up your favourite boozy beverages! 

24^th  Beer Can Appreciation Day

25^th   National Irish Coffee Day

February

Although, February may be month of romance, this certainly isn’t the same for everyone! In fact, we’re far more interested in enjoying a glass of our favourite red on ‘National Drink Wine Day’ 2017.

10^th   International Scotch Day

18^th   National Drink Wine Day

22^nd   National Margarita Day

25^th   Open That Bottle Night

March

Just because spring is on its way, this doesn’t mean that you have to leave your favourite drinks from the winter festivities behind! In fact ‘National Mulled Wine Day’ falls on the 3^rd of March, giving you another chance to enjoy this warming favourite from the festive season!

3^rd   National Mulled Wine Day

5^th   National Absinthe Day

April

We may be well into 2017 by April, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t celebrate the US holidays of ‘New Beers Eve’ and ‘National Beer Day, which are intended to mark the ‘beginning of the end’ for US prohibition in 1933.

7^th   National Beer Day (US)

17^th   Malbec World Day

24^th   International Sauvignon Blanc Day

May

In order to celebrate the warmer days and increased hours of sunlight, what better way could there be to enjoy the impending arrival of summer, than with a delicious cocktail? Luckily for us, ‘World Cocktail Day’ falls on the 13^th of May, which is also a Saturday! This gives you the perfect opportunity to whip up your favourite cocktails at home, or to pay a visit to your favourite bar!

13^th   World Cocktail Day

20^th   World Whisky Day

June

June is a particularly booze-filled month for 2017, with lots of national drink days to choose from! So, whether you prefer a Jack on the rocks, a G&T, or an ice cold beer, you’re sure to find a date in June to suit your tastes!

10^th   World Gin Day

14^th   National Bourbon Day

15^th   Beer Day Britain

19^th   World Martini Day

21^st   World Lambrusco Day

July

To quote the famous song: ‘if you like Piña Coladas’, then July is definitely the month for you! The height of summer is the ideal time of year to enjoy this tropical cocktail, which is made with white rum and coconut cream.

10^th   National Piña Colada Day

24^th   National Tequila Day

August

By the time August arrives, we’ve already celebrated national beer days in both the UK and US, so we’re more than prepared for an International Beer Day for everyone to enjoy! Whether you’re more partial to an American Pale Ale or a Belgian Dark, the 5^th of August is the perfect day to sample the beer offerings of the world!

5^th   International Beer Day

16^th   National Rum Day

September

Thought you’d had enough beer in August? Guess again! Munich Oktoberfest begins on the 16^th of September 2017, and runs until the beginning of October, providing you with plenty of opportunities to grab a stein before the month is out!

15^th   International Grenache Day

16^th   First Day of Munich Oktoberfest

October

The days may be getting darker and colder, but no need to worry; October 2017 has plenty of alcoholic beverage celebrations to help warm you up! From World Sake Day to Global Champagne Day, October provides a truly unique opportunity to celebrate our favourite drinks from around the world!

1^st   World Sake Day

3^rd   Last Day of Munich Oktoberfest

4^th   National Vodka Day

16^th   National Liqueur Day

19^th   International Gin and Tonic Day

20^th   Global Champagne Day

November

If you’re a fan of wine, then November is definitely the month for you! There are two international drink days to celebrate both the Merlot and Tempranillo grape varieties during the month of November, making it a great time to indulge in your favourite bottle of red!

7^th   International Merlot Day

9^th   International Tempranillo Day

16^th   Beaujolais Nouveau Day

December

December isn’t all about Baileys and Glühwein! There’s more to this month than your favourite festive tipples, providing you with more opportunities to ‘drink and be merry’ throughout December.

4^th   International Cabernet Franc Day

10^th   National Lager Day

20^th   National Sangria Day

Looking for something to make your celebrations extra fun? Why not try out one of our drinking games!

Buy Beer Pong Sets

Ultimate American Style Beer Pong Set

was: £9.50
Now: £7.75

Buy Now

Original Beer Pong Kit

was: £9.50
Now: £7.75

Buy Now

Party Beer Pong Set

was: £9.99
Now: £8.25

Buy Now

Twist Pong Set

was: £9.99
Now: £8.25

Buy Now