If 2016 has taught us anything, it’s that we probably need to drink more. If you’re not 21, sorry—you’ll have to suffer a little bit longer. For those of us who are legal and looking to get turnt this weekend, come sit with us. We’re saving you the trouble of Googling all this and the frustration of mediocre drinking. Take these alcohol hacks to heart—they’re your new college party code.
1. Take your beer to go
If you’re drinking outdoors or need your beer to go mobile with you to a party down the street, a fast food cup will save your life. Lauren Henderson, a senior at Aberdeen University, thinks this hack is the best. “My favorite alcohol hack is to stick a can of beer in a to-go cup,” she says. “I’ve used this at tailgates so many times, and it’s really useful if you want to drink places in public where you’re probably not supposed to.” There you have it folks. Collegiette approved.
Simply put your beer can in the cup (make sure it’s not see through), fill the rest of the cup with ice, add a straw and your beer could go anywhere with you. Bless.
2. Get rid of beer foam by adding olive oil
Can we all just agree that beer foam tastes nasty, and waiting it for it to just go away––who has time for that?! Grab that olive oil taking up room in the back of your cabinet and add a teaspoon to the top of your beer. It doesn’t change the taste, and you’ll be so happy to have the foam out of the way so you can get to the good part faster. Foam, bye!
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3. Use a water filter on your cheap vodka
College is pretty much all about choking down cheap vodka that tastes like nail polish remover, but it doesn’t have to be that way! If you want to get fancy AF, pour your vodka one to three times through a water filter, and it will honestly taste so much better.
This is by far Sarah Pau’s, a junior at Johns Hopkins University, favorite hack. “Nobody at university has time to buy hard alcohol that goes down like butter,” she says. “I live and die by keeping my vodka in a Brita filter. It takes away all the nasty.”
4. Freeze your leftover wine
This one is for our wino ladies out there. You know that leftover wine is usually better poured down the sink, no matter how much it hurts your heart to waste that sweet nectar. If you know you’re going to let the wine go bad sitting on your counter, pour it in an ice cube tray first and save it for later.
In a few days, you can add them to sangria, punch or even just have some boozy ice cubes around to suck on. We recommend using them within two weeks, because then you’ll have wine that tastes good as new! You’re welcome.
5. Put your wine in a blender
If you want to take your ladies night of wine and Netflix to the next level, then it’s time to aerate your wine. A wine aerator helps air filter into the wine so that the best tastes and smells are kept while letting the gross aromas go away. While most fancy aerators are expensive (wait and buy one when you’re ready to adult) all you need is your blender. Pour a bottle of wine in a blender, blend it for 30 seconds, and you’ll find your wine tasting much better afterwards.
Isabel Hughes, a sophomore at Cal Poly, does this regularly. “Your friends will be gasping in shock wondering if you spent more than 50 dollars on nice wine instead of running to the gas station around the corner,” she says. “They won’t know what’s coming when you give credit to your blender.”
6. Keep your champagne fizzy with a raisin
TBH, we’re not sure why this works. It’s very scientific, but thank you raisins and serious wine makers. If your champagne is losing its bubbly edge, simply putting a raisin in your glass and waiting a few minutes will save it from going flat. That means at your next big celebration, don’t forget to pick up a pack of raisins at the grocery store too!
Related: Say ‘Goodbye’ to Hangovers With This Alcohol Alternative
7. Turn white wine into a spritzer
White wine can be boring, and it’s basically impossible to drink leftover without throwing up in your mouth. The classiest thing to do is turn your white wine into a spritzer! Pour in some gingerale or fizzy soda, a splash of juice or fruit, and your white wine will be giving you summertime feels.
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Are you feeling next level yet? We hope our collegiette approved alcohol hacks totally improve your experience the next time you can’t face suffering through the cheap stuff. Go forth ladies, and get lit.