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What Is A 'Borg'? Gen Z's Party Chug And The TikTok Drinking Trend, Explained
The earliest archaeological evidence of alcohol consumption is from 9,000 years ago, in China's Yellow River Valley. Last week's events at Amherst's University of Massachusetts prove this ancient human tradition is alive and well.
Neolithic people in the Yellow River Valley drank a fermented rice and honey beverage. Zoomers at UMass drank borg, the new mixed drink that is sweeping TikTok and the real, physical world as well.
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7197154935077670190
What Is Borg?
Hypothetically, imagine you have a plastic gallon jug of water. Pour out half of it. Add a handle of vodka (or less, if you prefer). Then, throw in some kind of electrolyte tablet, syrup, or Mio powder (hypothetically, don't actually do this). Shake vigorously. Write a punny name on it with a sharpie.
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7194908109804932398
This jug would be your "Black Out Rage Gallon" (B.O.R.G.)
The idea of borg is that the drink hydrates you while also getting you extremely drunk: the water and the electrolyte powder keep the body's insides moist, which allegedly can prevent a hangover. Drinkers of borg bring their jugs with them to parties and then keep the jug (with its lid screwed on) with them throughout the night.
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7173374926953499946
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7199112096641223982
Supporters of borg say the beverage is actually a pretty safe way to get blackout drunk: it's closed, so nobody can slip anything in it, and it keeps you hydrated. Critics of borg say getting blackout drunk in the first place isn't very safe.
Where Did Borg Come From?
Evidence of borg online can be found as early as 2018, in the Urban Dictionary definition below. But drinks similar to borg have existed in the past, such as the Kentucky Bullfrog (vodka and Kool-Aid powder mixed in a bottle of Mountain Dew) or even Jungle Juice.
The earliest trace of borg on TikTok is from early 2020, describing how to make the beverage for a house party. It should be noted that both the Urban Dictionary entry and the first borg TikTok say the beverage is to be shared between people, instead of drunk individually.
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6786258447168998662
Borg how-to guides have been posted consistently since 2020, along with TikToks describing the practice of writing a punny name for your borg. The pun aspect of borgposting is similar to other TikTok pun memes, like rizz god nicknames.
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7158501678486998318
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7084800354524695851
Why Are Some People Scared Of Borg?
There's an entire fifth of vodka in your average borg. This is a concerning amount of alcohol for one person to drink in one night. Last weekend at the University of Massachusetts, 28 ambulances were reportedly called for students suffering from alcohol poisoning. University administrators blamed borg for these dangerous conditions.
The drinking of borg is often highly visible, since people carry the gallon jugs around with them, as shown in these TikToks purportedly from the weekend in question.
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7207078202961857834
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7206839649505905963
Why Do People Drink Borg?
Considering this is prominent among college-age kids on TikTok, the answer here is simple — to get intoxicated.
For the full details on borg, be sure to check out our entry on the meme here for even more information.
