Have you ever tried to settle down with a cold bottle of beer or soda, only to find that you don’t have a bottle opener available? Don’t worry — your closest and easiest solution is probably right in your closet or even a part of your outfit. Short of a real bottle opener that comes with a corkscrew or can opener, your next best bet is the sturdiest metal belt buckle you can find.
How you use the buckle to open the bottle largely depends on the shape and size of the buckle itself. Thankfully, there are a few different ways you can tackle the issue. The best belt buckle for the job is the type with a metal loop on the underside. You can hook the loop underneath the lip of the bottle cap, brace the metal base of the buckle against the top, and pry it off much like you would with a conventional bottle opener.
If your belt buckle doesn’t have the metal loop, you can try to brace the frame itself under the cap and use the middle bar for leverage in the same manner. If your belt only has a prong and frame with no bar, you can try closing the belt, bending the strap back to hold the prong in place, then using the gap between the prong and the frame to pry the top off with the prong under the cap lip.
Other ways to open a glass bottle without a bottle opener
If you have a plaque-style belt buckle or a buckle with an unconventional design, you’ll have to figure out for yourself if it will work as an improvised bottle opener. What you’re looking for is a sturdy gap that you can fit both under and over a cap exactly like you would with a flat bottle opener. This logic isn’t exclusive to working with belt buckles, either. If you’re not wearing a workable belt or just don’t want to take your belt off, another easy option is the gap in a seat belt buckle.
If all else fails and you can’t find anything that’ll give you enough leverage, you can always try to loosen the cap with metal utensils or a key. Wedge the tip of your chosen implement underneath the cap and pry the crimped edges upward and outward. Work your way around the bottle lip until it’s loose enough to pull off with your hands. Be sure to go slow and take care — the edges of bottle caps are sharper than you might think.
