Amelia (Hannah Einbinder) and Bessie (Wanda Sykes) enjoy a drink in The History of the World, Part II. Photo by Patrick Wymore/Hulu

By PJ Grisar March 6, 2023

Maybe it was a fluke of the programming calendar, but Mel Brooks’ long-awaited History of the World, Part II is debuting on Hulu in time for Purim, a holiday where Jews recount our own history with a satiric twist. It’s also a day where Jews get really, really drunk.

In honor of the occasion, which feels too perfect to be purely accidental, I thought a drinking game was in order. What Nick Kroll, Ike Barinholtz and Wanda Sykes prepared for us is many magnitudes better than Drunk History, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it buzzed. Having watched the show in its entirety, I have curated a drinking game for the first four chapters (parts one and two will air on Erev Purim, March 6, with the second two arriving on March 7.)

If you plan to treat yourself after hearing from the scroll, here’s a nifty way to enhance your viewing of an all-star spiel. Please drink responsibly in the manner described:

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Drink and say “mmm, so good”

Every time Ike Barinholtz appears as Ulysses S. Grant, who expelled the Jews from Southern states, and who, in the show, is charged with staying sober until the Civil War is over

Take a shot of Manischewitz

Every time Grant mentions a Jewish holiday

Drink twice

Every time someone bursts out into song

Drink and say “l’chaim!”

Every time Nick Kroll’s Schmuck Mudman pays homage to Fiddler on the Roof

Drink and say “That’s not kosha” like Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Critic

Whenever someone eats or references something treyf (like a bacon cheeseburger or a war oyster)

Drink and say “I liked it better the first time” 

Every time History of the World, Part I, is mentioned

Drink and point like Leo 

Every time an actor’s other projects are referenced — be they Curb Your Enthusiasm or The League

Drink and say “whoops!” in an Austrian accent

Every time Taika Waititi’s Sigmund Freud has a Freudian slip

Take a shot (of vodka)

When Jewish actor Jack Black first appears as a tormentor of Jews who died on Purim

Drink and chase with hamantashen

Whenever a traditional Jewish food is mentioned

And, finally, fitting for the holiday…

Drink and boo and sound your grogger

Whenever a known antisemite from history is ridiculed (it’ll happen a lot)

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount