Before you start, no. I’m not writing out a drinking game for the next time you manage to find yourself on the famous ride at Disneyland. I’m, of course, writing out some basic rules for the hit movie franchise. Admittedly, I have not seen all of the films. However, my memory of the films I have seen and the recent experience of watching the first one over again inspired me to write another set of rules that I’m pretty sure will cascade across each movie.

The Pirates of the Caribbean Drinking Game - Hair of the Dog

As usual, we at DagonDogs.com do not condone or encourage binge drinking and ask that you drink responsibly. These rules that are laid out here are meant to spice up your entertainment from the films, but should not be followed to the point of becoming sick. Think of them less as rules and more like “guidelines.”

Dramatic Swells

Pirates, like any big blockbuster action movie franchise, has its own theme music. You know it, or at least you will by the end of your first viewing of any of these movies because it plays a lot. It’s a good theme that you might get tired of, so why not try to make it more fun every time it starts playing?

• Take a sip of your drink whenever the Pirates theme song starts playing.

Shan’t We Sing Shanties?

Keeping with the theme of music, pirates and sailors of this fictional era and area of the world sure loved to sing some shanties to pass the time. They liked to drink like us too, but that doesn’t mean you should sing along with them. Keep your living room shanties to yourself!

• Take a sip of your drink whenever one of the characters starts singing a sea shanty.

Crossing Swords & Clanging Cups

If there is anything that there is no shortage of in these movies, it’s sword fights and booze. Both of these things are often associated with pirates so it would only make sense for them to be bountiful in each of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. So here is a two-for-one rule for you.

• Take a sip of your drink whenever a sword fight starts.

• Take a sip of your drink whenever a character takes a swig of some beverage other than water.

A Sparrow’s Call

While the plot may not always center around him, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is clearly the main character of these movies. As a result, his name is said a lot, to varying degrees of reputable respect and admiration.

• Take a sip of your drink whenever someone says “Jack Sparrow.” Take a longer sip if they include his title as Captain, i.e. “Captain Jack Sparrow.”

• You could also play this rule whenever someone says “Elizabeth” since Elizabeth Swann is a prominent character whose attention seems to be what everyone is seeking, most of the time

Savvy?

Countless action movies have their one-liners, with their action heroes who have their catchphrases. Dirty Harry had a long speech about his gun, ending with “Do I feel lucky?” The Terminator had “I’ll be back,” among multiple others. Pirates is no different, except, it’s been streamlined down to a single word. Jack Sparrow likes to use the word ‘savvy’ as a quick affirmation among his comrades and enemies. So, of course, let’s make a rule out of it.

• Take a sip of your drink whenever Jack Sparrow says “Savvy?”

Gonna Take You for a Ride

Pirates is an action franchise that, of course, is based on the Disneyland ride. Nobody expected a movie based on something like a ride to work, but it did and it was lightning in a bottle. While the first movie is far more referential to its origins, there are still some moments in the sequels that may be arranged or shot in a way that is meant to imitate or resemble a scene from the ride. For those who have never been to Disneyland or ridden the ride, defer to your friends in the room who have or stick to anything that resembles a memable moment. This is probably the vaguest rule on the list, but the point is, drink when you recognize something.

• Take a sip of your drink whenever you recognize a moment that is in reference to the Disneyland ride, or a frequently memed moment in the film. For example, a group of prisoners whistling to a dog with keys in its mouth, or “But why is the rum gone?”

Pardon My Jargon

Pirates are not known for their dental hygiene, for being very friendly or approachable, or for being very polite. However, they do know what the port side of a ship is, they know where the poop deck is that needs to be swabbed, and they know that it’s a good idea to follow commands and look tough while they do it. In these movies, there’s plenty a moment where someone is giving out commands involving parts of the ship I didn’t know existed while throwing some insults in there to keep the morale up. There’s also plenty a moment when someone accepts those requests with an “argh” or an “Aye.”

• Take a sip of your drink whenever anyone gives out a bit of nautical directions/commands

• Take a sip of your drink whenever someone responds to a command or question with an “argh” or an “Aye”

Double-Crossing Code

Pirates are also not known for their loyalty. The ones in these movies claim to operate under a code, but as you quickly learn, they’re more like guidelines. As such, you may find that characters, pirate or otherwise, tend to change their mind about their loyalties and their goals with some frequency. That third movie, in fact, has more double-crosses than I can count. So here’s another two-for-one set of rules for you.

• Take a sip of your drink whenever the ‘pirate code’ is mentioned.

• Take a sip of your drink whenever a character double-crosses, short-changes, or simply betrays another character. This can range from a person making a bad deal, to complete betrayal to the point of a heel-turn.

That’s it for some general imbibing guidelines to follow at your leisure while enjoying a marathon of swashbuckling action films. Though, each of these movies is over 2 hours long, so maybe switch to water as your drink of choice after the first film. There are, obviously, more rules that could be discovered in these movies, like “take a sip of your drink whenever someone says ‘the Black Pearl,’” but I felt this list was getting long enough as it was, and rules like that are more prominent in one film versus others. What other rules can you come up with? Leave them in the comments along with your favorite film of the franchise.