1. Pick your crew and your number
Decide how many people are in. Any number works — 2, 6, 12, 24 or more. The group size is how many drinks everyone buys: in a group of 12, each person brings 12 of the same drink, and 6 people means 6 each.
You're not locked into Christmas or a twelve-week run either. Pick any occasion, any item word, and any start and end dates — the pace and the whole schedule follow from what you set.
2. Create the group
- Go to Create a group.
- Give it a name and choose a theme — Christmas, Birthday, Wedding, or your own colours.
- Pick what you're swapping: beers, drinks, wines, ciders, seltzers, or a custom word.
- Set the start date and pace: weekly, weekends, daily, alternating weekend/weekday, or spread evenly to an end date.
- Choose reveals after every drink, or one big reveal at the end.
- Enter your email. You'll get a join code to share and a separate admin code to keep to yourself.
3. Start a group chat and invite everyone
Make a group chat with everyone playing. Then paste the invite link from the Admin tab — it fills in the join code for them. Each person picks "add myself", enters their name, and gets their secret number straight away.
4. Everyone adds their drink
Once they join, members enter the drink they're bringing. It stays private: only they and the admin can see it until it's revealed.
5. Shop, wrap and number
- Buy as many of the same drink as there are people in the group.
- Wrap each one in matching wrapping paper so they all look alike.
- Write your secret number on every single one. Don't tell anyone your number.
6. Exchange night
Set the date and details in the app (what to bring, where to meet). Everyone hands out one of their drinks to each person, so you all go home with one of each number. The app shows a reminder to prepare as the night gets close.
7. Run the countdown
When a window opens, the app shows everyone which number to open. Use the Admin tab's ready-made messages to post in the group chat: "Window open!", "Last call!", and reveal announcements. People rate and guess, and you reveal each drink when you're ready.
Admin tips
- Send the kickoff message the day you create the group, so no one forgets to buy.
- Set exchange night at least a week before the first window opens.
- Check the Admin tab to see who hasn't added their drink yet, and give them a nudge.