Shotgunning


Shotgunning is a means of consuming a beverage, commonly beer, very quickly by punching a hole in the side of the can, near the bottom, placing the mouth over the hole, and pulling the tab to open the top. The beer quickly drains, and is quickly consumed.
A related technique, strawpedoing, is used for containers not easily punctured such as glass bottles. A straw is inserted into the bottle and bent around the hole. When the bottle is tilted, the beverage quickly drains and is quickly consumed. The technique increases beverage delivery since the extra hole allows the liquid to leave while air enters simultaneously through the main hole. The bottleneck, created where air entering the container must travel through the same orifice as liquid leaving, is removed.
Both of these are normally done as a competition. The participants wait until all the others are ready until the countdown begins. Once the countdown is finished, the participants get under way and the first one to finish consuming the beverage is the winner.

Technique

To shotgun a beverage, a small hole is punched in the side of the can, close to the bottom. In order to prevent the liquid from spilling out while the cut is made, the can is held horizontally and the hole is made in the resulting air pocket. The hole can be made with any sharp object—typically a key, bottle opener, pen or knife. The drinker then places their mouth over the hole while rotating the can straight up. When the can's tab is pulled, the liquid will quickly drain through the hole into the drinker's mouth.