Take a Shot of Liquor

Taking a Shot of Liquor for the first time can be a painful and daunting memory if done improperly, especially if starting out with a liquor with a super high percentage of alcohol. All shots, if done properly, will be less uncomfortable.

Practice Makes Perfect

Shot of Liquor

To practice taking shots, take some yummy schnapps (around 15% alcohol or so) and fill a regular size shot glass with about an ounce of the drink. To take the shot, kick the whole mix to the back of your throat by dumping it all in at once and tilting your head back as far as you can. Once the shot has found its way to the back of your throat, swallow it all at once. Practice swallowing it all in one gulp, else the left over in your mouth will continue to burn you until you can swallow again.

Problems Swallowing in One Gulp?

A lot of people have trouble swallowing a whole shot in one gulp, and find that they can also chug a shot very quickly. While this method works, it forces you to swallow multiple times keeping the burning sensation of the alcohol around for a bit longer. If that's your cup of tea, then more power to you, but it is strongly recommended that you learn to take it all in one.

Have a Chaser in Hand

If the alcohol is particularly nasty (high percentage alcohol, eg. Tequila) make sure you have a glass of something to wash it down with. This is commonly known as a chaser. It will relieve the burning in your mouth/throat after you have taken the shot. Important Note: If you do indeed decide to chase, people will probably lose respect for you because you have demonstrated a sign of weakness not taking your liquor straight. But do keep in mind that a little lost respect over chasing is better than a lot of lost respect over regurgitation. For those particularly sensitive to strong alcohols, it is recommended that the chaser be non-alcoholic, like a soda, instead of a beer.

Easing the Burning Sensation

An easy way to ease the burning sensation without looking like a complete pussy(see "Have a Chaser in Hand" above) is to use proper breathing. Simply take a deap breath before you drink then immediately exhale deeply. You may feel the need to sustain heavy breathing for a bit, if the pain has not completely stopped.