Books & gifts
The Shot Spinner is a lightweight party drinking game where a spinning arrow decides who takes the next shot. Pour a drink, place it in the centre, spin the arrow, and whoever it points to drinks. No negotiation, no excuses, no mercy. Over 70% of drinking game purchases in our Amsterdam shop are impulse buys, and this one consistently ranks in the top three sellers in the Books & Gifts category. It's the kind of simple, stupid-fun accessory that turns a quiet pre-drink into something people actually remember — or don't, depending on how the arrow falls.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Drinking game / party spinner |
| Mechanism | Spinning arrow on fixed base |
| Included | Spinner board, arrow, shot glass |
| Players | 2 or more |
| SKU | HS1963 |
| Category | Books & Gifts |
| Drinking Game Type | Setup Time | Best Group Size | Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shot Spinner | Under 10 seconds | 4–8 players | One rule |
| Card-based drinking games | 1–3 minutes | 3–10 players | Multiple rules per card |
| Beer pong | 5–10 minutes | 2–4 players | Moderate (aim required) |
| Board-based drinking games | 5+ minutes | 2–6 players | Full rulebook |
The Shot Spinner removes all decision-making from group drinking rounds by assigning each shot randomly via a spinning arrow. Every group has that one person who somehow dodges every round. They're suddenly in the toilet, checking their phone, or deeply engaged in a conversation about nothing. The spinner handles that with zero effort — the arrow doesn't care about your excuses, it points and you drink.
We've had this thing on the shelf for a while now, and the feedback is always the same: people buy it expecting a throwaway laugh, then it becomes a fixture at every house party. According to a 2023 Mintel report on the European party accessories market, drinking games saw a 12% year-on-year sales increase, with spinner-style games gaining the largest share among impulse purchases. The plastic feels light in the hand — it's not built like a Swiss watch, and nobody expects it to be. It's a party prop. It does its job, it survives a few spills, and it fits in a bag on the way to a mate's flat. The shot glass that comes with it is a standard single-serve size, roughly 30 ml, so you're not accidentally pouring doubles unless you want to. If you want to order a Shot Spinner before your next gathering, it ships from our Amsterdam warehouse within one working day on most orders.
The honest limitation: the arrow doesn't always land with surgical precision. Sometimes it wobbles between two players, and you'll need a house rule for that — we'd say both drink, but you do you. It's a drinking game, not a court of law. The spinning mechanism also performs best on hard, flat surfaces; on anything soft or uneven, results get unreliable fast.
Setup takes under 10 seconds: place the spinner on a flat surface, gather players in a circle, pour a shot, and flick the arrow. Here's the full step-by-step:
Complete your party setup with a set of extra shot glasses — the spinner comes with one, but having spares means less waiting between rounds. A Roor glass tip or a pack of RAW rolling papers pairs nicely with the wind-down once the spinner retires for the evening. Browse the Books & Gifts category for more party accessories, or check the Grinders section if you want to get the after-party sorted at the same time.
The Shot Spinner has been one of our most reliably repurchased party items since we first stocked it. We've sold drinking games from our Amsterdam shop since the early days, and the ones that actually get used share one trait: simplicity. Nobody at a party wants to read a 12-page rulebook. The Shot Spinner has exactly one rule — spin, point, drink. That's why it works. According to the EMCDDA's 2023 European Drug Report, alcohol remains the most widely consumed psychoactive substance across the EU, with roughly 85% of adults aged 18–64 reporting past-year use — context worth keeping in mind whenever a drinking game enters the picture. Drink responsibly, pace yourself, and keep water on the table alongside whatever's in the shot glass.
One of our counter staff tells a story about a customer who bought three Shot Spinners in a single summer — one for home, one that vanished at Lowlands festival, and a replacement for the replacement that got "borrowed" at a King's Day house party on the Prinsengracht. That's roughly the lifecycle of these things: they get used hard, they disappear into the night, and people come back for another. At about 30 grams total weight, it's lighter than most people's phone, which makes it dangerously easy to toss in a bag and forget about until the moment arrives.
If you're comparing this to other drinking games in the shop, the Shot Spinner is the best pick for spontaneous rounds because there's zero setup time. Card-based drinking games like Kings or Ring of Fire have more variety but need sober-enough players to read the cards. The spinner doesn't ask that of you. It asks nothing of you except the willingness to drink when an arrow says so. You can buy the Shot Spinner alongside any of those card games and cover both ends of the evening — structured chaos early, pure randomness later.
Minimum two, but it's more fun with four to eight. Any more than that and you're waiting ages between turns. With two players, it's essentially a coin flip with extra steps — still entertaining, just faster-paced.
It's a standard shot glass, roughly 30 ml (1 oz). Fits neatly in the centre of the spinner board. You can swap it out for your own glass if you prefer, as long as it sits stable on the base.
Absolutely. Fill it with hot sauce, pickle juice, wheatgrass — whatever makes the group groan when the arrow lands on them. The spinner doesn't judge. Some of the best rounds we've heard about involved increasingly questionable liquid combinations.
It's lightweight plastic — sturdy enough for regular party use but not indestructible. Keep it on a flat surface, don't stand on it, and it'll last through plenty of sessions. The spinning mechanism is simple, which means fewer parts to break.
House rules apply. Most groups say both drink. Some say the closest player drinks. A few insist on a re-spin. Settle it before the first round and you'll avoid every argument. We'd go with both drinking — more fun that way.
It needs a reasonably flat, hard surface. Kitchen tables, bar tops, and floors all work fine. Soft surfaces like beds or thick carpet will stop the arrow short and give you dodgy results. A wobbly pub table is borderline — wedge a coaster under the short leg first.
You can order the Shot Spinner directly from the Azarius webshop or pick one up at our physical store in Amsterdam. Most orders ship within one working day, and it's light enough that shipping costs stay minimal across Europe.
Last updated: April 2026
