In Mexican jargon1, «six» is a common term for a quantity of beer. For example, I could ask a friend coming to a party to «bring a six»; or I could say that we’re «going for a six» if the party is running dry.

The term—as one might imagine—comes from the fact that many stores sell beer in 6-packs (either bottles or cans). A very dry definition then would say that a «six» refers to 6x12-pack of beer. But as it so happens with these terms, it’s not so much used for its accuracy, rather as a general term for beer, with only a loose approximation for its actual volume.2

«Six» then, also serves as an informal measure, not unlike the English phrase “a couple of…”. It’s not an exact number, but it’s more than «one or two». This elasticity, however, is not common to all beer-related terms. For example, another common term is «cartón» (lit. cardboard) but it’s most commonly used as an exact amount.3

Next time you’re around, bear this in mind: being asked to go out for a «six», while a sign of friendship, does not equate a set and predisposed amount of alcohol being consumed. Drink responsibly.


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  1. And possibly other parts of the Spanish speaking world

  2. This has confused more than one international visitor here believing that «six» refers exclusively to the 6x12-pack of beer, as opposed to the 6x16-pack, or even the 4x16-pack. In reality, all of these could be understood to be a «six».

  3. As in, it refers usually to «the whole box» and is often used by wholesale retailers and then by end-consumers. The phrase usually mentions which kind of bottle is being discussed («cartón de cuarto/media/caguama»), so there's no confusion of the exact volume of beer being sold.