The 22-year-old was carried off to bed by his friends after he said he could drink no more.

They discovered his dead body the following morning. His father, Philip, a former publican, said the quantity of spirits and the "intensity" with which he drank them had killed his son.

He warned other youngsters to beware of the dangers of binge drinking, especially involving spirits.

Mr Reid, of Leigh, said: "It's such a waste. All the 22 years of hard work has gone in 20 minutes. "He was a normal, healthy and active young man with everything on the horizon for him. "The future was looking rosy. He graduated with a 2:1 degree in international finance and economics and had been working at a bank for the past nine months.

"His big ambition was to eventually move down to London and work in the City."

An inquest in Manchester heard Mr Reid, who worked at the Bank of New York in the city centre, died from alcohol poisoning which had stopped his brain from working.

A blood alcohol sample showed he was six to seven times over the legal drink driving limit.

Manchester Deputy Coroner Leonard Gorodkin recorded a verdict of misadventure.

Mr Reid said his son and friends had planned a quiet Saturday night in ahead of a concert they were going to at the MEN Arena the next day.

"David was an Arsenal supporter and he had a few cans of beer as he watched them on television," he said. "Someone then suggested putting on the American Pie film and after watching it they decided to stage the contest. "In the middle of the night one of his friends walked past the room where he was sleeping, heard snoring and thought he was OK.

"But the pathologist at the inquest said heavy snoring was a symptom of blood poisoning. He appeared to be deep in sleep but in reality his breathing was shallow and he was unconscious."

The Manchester University graduate was found dead later that morning.

Mr Reid added: "It was so out of character for David. He was generally a beer or cider drinker who would socialise at weekends but never on a Sunday night because he was so professional and wanted to be right for work the next day.

"It was the quantity of the spirits and the intensity with which he drank them that killed him.

"David's friends are naturally devastated. They were just playing around with the drink and then they have to deal with discovering his body the next morning.

"Young people need to be aware that binge drinking can kill. We hear a lot about the side effects of it with fighting but consuming spirits so quickly can have fatal consequences."