After the first week of the quarter has finally come to an end, some of you may already be sick of drinking the typical cheap alcoholic beverages that can be found all over Isla Vista. After drinking Natty Light and Popov all week, I figured it was time to venture into a slightly more expensive but more satisfying world of drinking. So, of course, I began researching and testing new drinks.

There is something thrilling about dropping a shot of liquor into a larger cup and downing the entire concoction. These style drinks are fun to drink in groups and are perfect for getting wasted. The best, in my opinion, is the flaming Dr Pepper. To do this, you need to buy some Amaretto, Bacardi 151 and beer. You fill a shot glass half full with Amaretto and then fill the second half with Bacardi 151. You then light the shot, say cheers and drop the shot in a cup of beer. If you drink the combination very quickly, it tastes just like drinking a Dr Pepper. The drinks are not too expensive if split amongst a group, they are very tasty and they will get you so drunk that you might feel like skinny dipping in the lagoon.

Of course there are many other “bomb” drinks to choose from, such as the Jager bomb – which involves dropping a shot of Jagermeister in a cup filled with an energy drink. Sake bombs are when you drop a shot of sake into a cup of beer. It is much more fun however to place two chopsticks across the cup of beer, set the shot glass on top of the chopsticks, yell a lot and then bang your fists on the table which then causes the shot glass to fall into the cup. Irish Car Bombs are great for St. Patty’s Day. To do one, drop a shot of half Baileys and half Irish whiskey into a cup of Guinness and chug.

If you want a strong cocktail that tastes good and will get you drunk, try a Seven and Seven. This drink is simply a combination of Seagram’s 7 Whiskey and 7-Up. Depending on how strong you want it, you can mess with the ratio, but I find that about half of each does the trick. Another great drink is the White Russian. This consists of Vodka, Kahlœa and half and half. You can start out with about a third of each ingredient and then play around with it until you get the right strength or taste. Another thing that is great about drinking White Russians – as opposed to just beer – is that you can play “The Big Lebowski” drinking game. Every time Lebowski makes himself a White Russian in the movie, you have to finish yours and make another one as well.

Seven and Sevens and Jager bombs are delicious, but I found two more alternatives to drinking typical alcohol. If you really want to go crazy, try a Chilli Willi or a Stuntman. A Chilli Willi is when you take a beer bottle cap, fill it with vodka and then snort it. Although painful, Chilli Willis can turn a good party into an epic party. Just don’t do more than three, otherwise your face starts to go numb and you might turn an epic party into a funeral party. A Stuntman, equally fun and stupid, is when you snort a line of salt, take a shot of tequila and squeeze a lime in your eye. My good friend Ralph enjoys Stuntmans and told me, “When you do a Stuntman, your body hurts in so many places that you can’t identify where. It is well worth it to get a free round of drinks at a bar, though.”

I urge you to vary your alcoholic choices. Try one of the delicious treats I mentioned or one of your own favorites every once in a while. But if times are hard – and you can only scrape up $15.29 – there is still nothing wrong with picking up a cold 30 rack of Natty.