They don't all have to be shots of spirits, adjust your drink based on how smashed you're planning on getting. I played shot chess a few years ago, the pawns were beer, the other pieces were different drinks increasing in strength up to the king which was absinthe.
Battleshots only requires two pizza boxes, a sharpie, and a bunch of shot glasses, all of which are also generally on hand, at least later into the party
We used to do it where we would set up two big squares of cups filled with beer, and the shots were mixed in amongst the cups. So you could see the other side, just didn't know where the shots were. So we were still just throwing balls, but trying to hit the ships. But we also had multiple people on each team because a 30 rack and a fifth for each side is way too much for a single person.
I have played this before! The set of boards were made of wood and a door hinge and a white board up top for your guesses. Would be fun to 3D print the ships