Where's My Meniscus? A 21st Century Drinking Game
Created | Updated Jul 30, 2002
Preamble
Historically, drinking games have treated alcohol as a penalty1, which is clearly unworkable among professional drinkers; such participants find themselves competing to lose, and thus the rules are perverted and the game collapses into a sorry shambles.
To remedy this rum set of affairs, the fabulous drinking game "Where's My Meniscus?" was created. The game requires each participant to consume a full pint of beer, thus satisfying alcoholic requirements whilst also supplying fun.
Setting Up
Unlike a number of drinking games2, there are no complicated requirements. You need four or more players, each with a full pint of beer (lager, bitter, gin, whatever). A paper and pencil are also helpful if you intend to keep score. If you do not keep score, the game simply becomes sitting in a pub and drinking. This is not so much fun.
Aim of the Game
The aim is to have a large number of points by the end of the game. Quite what use points are remains unclear. We are seeking parity with the euro.
The Game
At the start of each round, pint glasses must be on the table in full view for all participants to see. Participants then drink from their glass, but must ensure no other participant can see how much they are drinking. The quantity they drink is at their discretion3. The glass is then hidden under the table.
Participants now guess, in turn, the order in which the pint glasses will fall, from most full to most empty. This is all written down on a piece of paper.
The leader of the game now shouts out "Where's My Meniscus?", and the pint glasses are taken from under the table and placed in full view. These can then be arranged into order. Three points are awarded for each correct ranking.
The game then continues, for as many rounds as there are participants in the game. The same pint is used for each round of the same game.
Tactics
There are only two tactics in the game, but this is quite sufficient:
This is really the same tactic in reverse. There is a third tactic:
DO NOT try this tactic. It sounds tempting to do the unexpected, but for the remainder of the rounds it will be quite obvious how full your glass is.
Illegal Activities
There are only three officially outlawed practices:
