Sobriety and electioneering don’t often go together and the 2008 US election is no different. Whilst various members of GOP and DMC parties are now in advance stages of alcoholism, we here at Crikey have been markedly salubrious in our coverage — apart from Rundle whose reporting has been spent working on his best Tom Waits impression in dive bars from DC to OC.

Well the lids off!

From 10am we at Crikey HQ will be popping the corks on various bottles of plonk that have been stowed away in anticipation of this historic moment. So join us at your work desk, at the water cooler or in the meeting room with of our guide to US election night drinking games and your head departments secret stash…

For Fox News: Every time John McCain tries to associate Barack Obama with an unsavory character, take a sip of your dirty martini. — Huffington Post

For the wary Democrats: We understand how painful listening to Chris Matthews or Sean Hannity can be on the stone-cold sober mind. So we’re offering some drinking games to keep you occupied until the votes are counted – or in the case of Florida, until the votes are found. — San Francisco Chronicle

For those who’ve been hiding under a rock: Take a drink when… Anyone says anything nice about George Bush. — Sun Sentinel

For the politically apathetic “social drinkers”: Apparently Americans like to drink because I’ve been getting tons of hits from people who have Googled “election night drinking game”. — The Modern Gal

For the rest of the world: Take a drink … When Sarah Palin and 2012 are used in the same sentence, two shots are required. — Martinis for two