Skip to main content

Why Are All These Celebrities Shotgunning Beers?

There is a spectrum of appropriateness when it comes to drinking beer. The shotgun method has always occupied some distant end, miles away from the aroma-heightening tulip glass or sleek and slender pilsner vessel. No, the shotgun tends to occupy the hangover-inducing territory mostly reserved for tailgating and absurd college parties.

Like merlot or ’90s fashion, the messy, beer-guzzling act is reemerging and we’re not entirely sure why. It’s no longer just the embellished theatrics of a blue-collar wrestler (here’s looking at you, Stone Cold Steve Austin). Celebrities and star athletes are sharing in the fun. But after shotgunning a beer for the first time in well over a decade — and once again feeling that silly, sticky, gut-punching, celebratory, woozy euphoria — I have a few theories.

Related Videos

"I just don’t like the idea of my franchise quarterback spending time at a baseball game. I mean, what are you doing, @bakermayfield? You don’t see guys like Aaron Rodgers shotgunning beers. Just not a good look. Go watch some film." – @ColinCowherd (probably)

Legend. pic.twitter.com/IUCW1Kp4s3

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) August 4, 2019

Politicians once kissed babies and, largely still, visit small towns. It’s a sometimes patronizing act meant to exhibit some kind of folk sensibility — a closeness with everyday people. Social media makes our favorite people terribly accessible and we like love to ogle. So how better for a Heisman-winning quarterback or all-star influencer to prove their normality to countless followers? The shotgun, of course.

Quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Aaron Rodgers have already been famously caught in the act. Tom Brady did it, but we all know it was Michelob Ultra. Justin Bieber has rather unsurprisingly attempted the shotgun many times. And Martha Stewart failed spectacularly under the tutelage of Snoop Dog. Some are better than others (and probably had more practice than others thanks to past fraternity lives) but there’s almost a nobility in just being okay at the shotgun. It’s not how much beer gets absorbed into your bloodstream. It’s how quickly you pour suds all over your face and shirt.

On a deeper level, the shotgun might be a subtle revolt against craft beer and high-IQ drink culture. After all, when the beer in question is there only to by punctured by a knife, key, or tooth and emptied in mere seconds, cheap and tasteless is probably the way to go. Though the thought of White IPAs and Belgian tripels entering the shotgun domain is pretty entertaining, at least in theory.

Then again, perhaps it has reemerged on account of its utter pace and efficiency. The world is not getting any slower. If Americans are thirsty for a swift way to enjoy their beer, there’s hardly any swifter. Beer-bonging is decidedly extra. Shotgunning is relatively quick and easy, without any bells or whistles.

Tom Brady Chugs A Beer In One Gulp

There’s also the competitive element. Most icons caught on camera shotgunning do so by their lonesome, much to the joy of the masses. But the practice really came to be what it is as a race among friends with often drunk results. The looming climate of bravado and one-upmanship welcomes the shotgun with open arms.

Whatever the real reason, the shotgun refuses to go quietly. It’s the subject of a hilarious and quite literal Wikipedia page. And you might as well know how, just in case you’re at a raging party or want to take your celebrity status to even higher levels.

Someday soon, you too may only have a few seconds to savor a cold one.

Editors' Recommendations

Benefits of ginger: 5 reasons why you should add it to your grocery list today
Learn how ginger could be an essential superfood for your diet
Ginger on cutting board.

All over the world,ginger is consumed in many ways; these include as a spice, in teas and soups, and more! No matter how you choose to enjoy the superfood, it cannot be denied that there are many benefits of ginger. Due to its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties, there are five significant ways that ginger can positively affect your health.

It doesn’t require a lot of ginger to make a difference, either! Three to four grams of ginger daily is optimal for the average healthy adult. Any more than this can lead to gastrointestinal distress and heartburn. So as long as you stay within the guidelines, you can include ginger in your diet in various ways and reap the many health benefits it provides.

Read more
The Borg drink is a viral Gen-Z favorite that’s really not all that new
Sorry, kiddos. "Borg" has been around for a while. We just call it something else.
borg drink recipe

Every new generation thinks they've invented the wheel when it comes to anything trendy. We're sorry to say, Gen-Z, but "flared leggings" are called yoga pants, most of us were using flip phones before you were born, and don't even think about talking to us about pop punk unless you know who Billie Joe Armstrong is.
When it comes to drinks, most generations have a hallmark party beverage that defines their college years, holding the power to flood them with a rush of nausea and fuzzy memories even decades later. For Gen-Z, that drink is called "Borg." What they haven't realized yet, though, is that this falsely fruity concoction has been around for years under the name "Jungle Juice."
While Jungle Juice was originally invented by U.S. soldiers during the Second World War, it was Millenials who made it the truly trashy, hangover-inducing party swill it is. Most stereotypically mixed in a large bucket or something else that can be found in a dorm garage, Jungle Juice is a mixture of vodka and a cheap, fruity mixer such as Kool-Aid. Naturally, there aren't any hard and fast recipe rules, but that's the usual gist of Jungle Juice.
The Gen-Z twist, Borg, does have some clever upgrades, and for that, we give them due credit. Firstly, the rather gross-sounding name is actually a witty acronym for "Black Out Rage Gallon." We love that there's no beating around the bush with this generation. They know how to call a spade a spade. Second, unlike the communal trough that's used to dole out Jungle Juice, Borg is made and served in individual plastic jugs, cutting down on germ spread. We can appreciate that growing up in the days of COVID has made for some much healthier thinking. We also love that Borg can be capped, making it much more difficult for potential predators to tamper with a drink.
Of course, the optional addition of new ingredients like Liquid IV also help to curb the hangover that will undoubtedly come with drinking vodka from a plastic jug. That sure would have been nice back in the day.

Borg drink recipe

Read more
Is erythritol harmful? What a dietitian says new data means for your Keto diet
Erythritol is common in many keto foods - what does that mean for your health?
erythritol in keto diet advice

While sugar substitutes have been around for more than a century, they didn't really become mainstream here in the United States until around the mid-70s. According to Carolyn De La Pena, professor of American Studies at UC Davis and author of Empty Pleasures: The Story of Artificial Sweeteners from Saccharin to Splenda, between 1975 and 1984, Americans increased their consumption of artificial sweeteners by 150 percent. This timeline makes sense when you take into account that the late seventies coincided with the start of our crazed diet culture and the revolving door of fad diets.
One such diet that doesn't seem to be going anywhere, however, is the Keto diet. Still hugely popular among Americans trying to shed a few pounds, Keto focuses heavily on limited or no carbohydrates. Because sugar contains carbohydrates, followers of Keto have turned to artificial sweeteners to satisfy those late-night cravings - sweeteners that, more often than not, contain erythritol. Erythritol in particular has become hugely popular because it's much better for baking than other sugar substitutes, has less of an artificial flavor, and will keep the eater in Ketosis, which is key for losing weight on the Keto diet.
A new study has made waves recently because its findings indicate there's a link between erythritol and higher rates of heart attack and stroke (though the study did note that only an association was found — not causation. So should you be worried?
We asked Dan LeMoine, RD, the award-winning author of Fear No Food and the Clinical Director at Phoenix-based Re:vitalize Nutrition, what he had to say about erythritol, including its benefits and potential health risks. "Artificial sweeteners are still sweeteners. While many are non-nutritive or zero-calorie, we tend to view them similarly as we do regular sweeteners or sugars — moderation is key. While many have amazing implications on weight loss – being low to no-calorie options and having little impact on blood sugar, some have their downside," he says.

While some of that sugar substitution has been good for waistlines and health issues that come from obesity, it seems to be causing more and more concern when it comes to other potential health issues. "For example," says LeMoine, "some research indicates the popular sweeteners stevia may have negative effects on the gut microbiome. And the recent study showing correlation between the sugar alcohol, erythritol, and heart attack and stroke."

Read more