Titanic

Titanic (타이타닉) is the Korean game that ends with somebody drinking a soju bomb they built themselves. A shot glass floats in a glass of beer, the players take turns pouring a little soju into the shot glass, and whoever’s pour sends it to the bottom drinks the whole thing. It sits among the drinking games without cards because you will never need to bring anything to play it: every Korean barbecue table already has the beer, the soju, and the glasses on it.

What you need

• A pint glass or any clear drinking glass for the beer. Clear matters, because half the fun is watching the shot glass go down
• A shot glass. A Korean soju glass is ideal: small, light, straight-sided, and it floats well
• Beer, enough to fill the big glass half to two-thirds
• Soju, at least one bottle. Any spirit works, but soju is the original and the kindest
• 2 or more players

Setup

1. Fill the big glass half to two-thirds with beer. Let the foam settle first. A full glass spills when the shot glass goes in.
2. Float the empty shot glass on the beer. Lower it in upright and let go gently. It should bob with the rim well clear of the surface.
3. Agree on what counts as a pour. The common rule is that any amount counts, even a drop, and that everyone must pour on their turn. Say it out loud so nobody argues about it later.
4. Pick who pours first and which way the bottle goes. The person who set up the glass usually pours first.

How to play Titanic

1. The first player pours some soju into the floating shot glass. Pour from the bottle. You cannot touch the shot glass or the big glass.
2. Pass the bottle and the next player pours. Every player must pour on their turn. A drop is enough; skipping is not allowed.
3. Watch the rim. Each pour makes the shot glass sit lower. The danger point is when the rim is level with the beer, because the next drop floods it.
4. Whoever sinks the shot glass loses. If it floods, tips, or goes down on your pour, the round is over. Knocking the table counts as your pour.
5. The loser drinks the whole glass. Beer, soju and all, in one go if they can. The shot glass can come out first or stay in, house choice.
6. Reset with a fresh beer and go again. The loser usually pours first in the next round, which is the safest seat at the table.

Variations and house rules

• Submarine (잠수함). The same game under its other Korean name. Some tables call each pour a “dive” and count them out loud, which makes the last few pours much more tense than they need to be.
• Sink the ship. The Western version, played in bars in the US and UK. Float a pint glass in a pitcher of beer and pour beer, not spirits, into the glass. The loser drinks the glass. Bigger, slower, and a lot wetter.
• Halves. The loser drinks half and nominates someone to finish it. Keeps the game going for a bigger group, and gets the nominated person into the next round with a grudge.
• Eyes closed. Pour without looking at the glass. The table tells you when to stop, or does not.
• Two survivors. Float two shot glasses in one big glass. Each player picks which one to pour into. Sink either and you drink. Twice as much judgement, same penalty.
• Soju only. Fill the big glass with soju instead of beer and float the shot glass in it. Not recommended unless the loser has a short walk home.
• Whiskey bomb. Swap the soju for whiskey, the way poktanju was originally made in Korea. The game plays exactly the same and the loser’s glass is much stronger. Tell people before you do this.
• Timed pour (house rule). Every pour must last a full second. A drop is no longer possible, so the game ends in three or four rounds instead of ten.

Tips

• Use a lager or a light beer. Heavier beers foam more when the glass goes in and make the shot glass wobble from the start.
• Pour from high up if you want a drop and from low down if you want control. The bottle neck at the rim of the shot glass is the steadiest, and it is also the most obvious, so expect the table to lean in.
• A full glass of beer with a shot of soju in it is one big drink, not a sip. Play Titanic once or twice as a set piece, not in a loop, and do not put the same person in twice in a row.
• Put a towel under the glass. Beer goes over the side when the shot glass floods, and on the last pour of the night it goes over the side a lot.