How to Remove a Bottlecap with a Key

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Popping open a brew with just about anything

Co-authored by Bryan Sullivan and Luke Smith, MFA

Last Updated: April 22, 2024 Fact Checked

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Popping

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Prying

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Other Methods

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Tips

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Warnings

Imagine: you’re about to pop open a cold one, when you realize, to your horror, that you’ve got nothing to pop it open with. Yes, it could happen to you. But the lack of a bottle opener doesn’t have to mean the end of your night—just reach for that keychain. If you’ve got a house, car, bike lock, or any sort of sturdy key, you’ve also got a bottle opener, and we’ll show you how to use it. And if you left your keys at home? We’ve still got you covered with a few other crafty bottle opening tricks. Sláinte!

Things You Should Know

Slide the teeth of a sturdy key under the cap’s ridges, then twist the key until the cap pops off.
Use the tip or teeth of the key to pry the ridges of the bottle cap away from the bottle, and repeat all the way around the sides of the cap.
Use a belt buckle, the edge of a countertop, or a door latch as makeshift bottle openers.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Popping

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1
Grab the bottleneck with your non-dominant hand. Wrap your index finger around the top of the neck, close to the cap, and hold the bottle securely so that it doesn’t slide in your hand when you push against it. Don’t worry about squeezing it too tight, a firm grip is enough.^{[1]
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- Anchor the bottom of the bottle against a tabletop or your thigh for added stability.
This ain’t a job for a small file cabinet key or a dinky padlock key. Pick a strong, larger key like a car key or a heavier house key. It’s best to pick a key with multiple ridges at the tip—it’ll be easier for it to get under the bottlecap’s ridges.^{[2]
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Move the key in your dominant hand so you’re twisting the key up towards you. It’s the same motion you’d make if you were turning your car on. Your index finger will act as a sort of fulcrum and add pressure to the cap. Since the key is lodged under the bottle cap, the key will pry the cap open.^{[3]
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Try a different side of the cap if it didn’t pop off immediately. Depending on the bottle cap, the strength of your key, and your experience with this method, the cap might not pop off on your first try. I fit doesn’t, turn the bottle until a new part of the cap is facing you, and try again.^{[4]
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- This method works with any flat, strong object. If you don’t have a key, use a lighter, a coin, a metal spoon, or a flathead screwdriver.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Prying

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Hold the bottle firmly toward the top. Then, position the teeth of they key under a few of the bottlecap’s ridges. Use your thumb to wedge them in a bit further.^{[5]
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Twist the key until the ridge bends upwards. Twist the key back and forth gently but firmly until the bottlecap ridge starts to bend away from the mouth of the bottle. Hold the key so that it’s pointing away from you, and twist it just like you’d turn the ignition.^{[6]
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- If you can’t get anywhere using the teeth of the key, use the very tip of the key instead, and rock the rest of the key over your thumb for leverage.
Keep prying the key under the ridges, turning the bottle as you go. Eventually, all the ridges securing the cap to the bottle will be released and the cap will come off in your hand, or you’ll be able to easily pop the cap off with a little pressure.^{[7]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Other Methods

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Find a sturdy counter or railing, and position the lip of the bottlecap against the corner of the counter. With your free (preferably dominant) hand, give the top of the cap a good, downward whack, making sure to aim for the edge of the cap that’s away from the counter. With a few tries and some good aim, the cap will pop right off.^{[8]
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Pop it open with another bottle. Got a second bottle on-hand? Well now it’s a bottle opener. To open a bottle with another bottle, turn the second bottle upside down and place the lip of the cap under the lip of the first bottle’s cap. Grab the neck of the upright bottle, placing your thumb just under the inverted cap. Then turn the upside-down bottle away from the first, using it as a lever against your thumb to pry open the first.^{[9]
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- Note that now you’ve opened the first bottle, you’ll have to use another method to open the second.
3
Use the ring on your finger. Wedding band? Engagement ring? For the next 20 seconds, that’s a bottle opener. Place your ring hand over the cap and slip the edge of your ring under the ridges of the cap. Then, pull your wrist downward so that your ring finger moves upward, prying the cap away with it.^{[10]
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- Note that this methods may result in a little bruising, and you should move on to another if it causes any discomfort to your finger.
4
Pry off the cap with a door latch. You know that little metal thingamajig on the doorframe that catches the door’s bolt? That’s a bottle opener. Stick the cap into the bolt hole, positioning it against the sharp metal rim (so that the bottle is sideways. Then, simply turn the bottle away from you to open it as you would with a normal bottle opener, and quickly turn it upright to avoid spillage.^{[11]
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- Make sure the metal hardware is sturdy and won’t bend under the torque of the bottle.
- Grab a dish towel and hold it under the bottle as you twist it to catch any foam.
The great thing about belts is that they have buckles, and the great part of buckles is that they’re actually bottle openers. Remove your belt and slip the bottle through it. Then, use your thumb to push one edge of the buckle up against the cap, and hold the other edge down against the bottle with your other fingers. Give it a little pressure and, voila! Open bottle.^{[12]
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Open the bottle with scissors. What are scissors but sharp bottle openers, really? Hold the scissors as you normally would, and place one blade under the lip of the cap and the other flat on top of the cap, and twist.^{[13]
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- Practice caution here—we don’t recommend this method for anyone who couldn’t pass a breathalyzer.
Okay, so this one’s not a bottle opener so much as a… bottle gripper? Wrap a thick rubber band around the cap of a bottle, and twist that sucker as hard as you can. It’ll probably take a few minutes, but eventually the twisting will loosen the cap and allow you to pry it off with your hands.^{[14]
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Tips

Check if the bottle is a twist-off before trying to open it with a key!^{[15]
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If you often find yourself without a bottle opener, consider purchasing a bottle opener keyring for your keys!

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Warnings

Never use your teeth to open a bottle.

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Be careful of the ridges—they can be very sharp!

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