Ready for another drinking game for tonight's debate? Yes,
Matt Taibbi's was diaried, but there's always room for one more. This one comes courtesy of Paul Wartenberg at
You Might Notice a Trend, who came up with
It Has To Be Done: GOP Debate Drinking Game 2016 Edition.
Here are Paul's rules for all candidates.
IN GENERAL
- If any candidate talks about meeting Ronald Reagan in person, take a drink.
- If any candidate talks about kneeling before St. Ronnie and asking for his blessing to serve the cause as THE CHOSEN ONE, take two drinks.
- If any candidate shares a passage from his erotic Reagan fanfiction involving light bondage and tax cuts (we live in a Fifty Shades world now), throw bottle at screen.
- If any candidate praises Fox Not-News for "honesty and credibility", throw bottle at screen.
- If any candidate tries to out-pander Trump, take a drink. This also applies to Trump, who is allowed within the rules to pander as much as inhumanly possible.
- If any candidate says nice things about Jon Stewart and suggests Jon shouldn't retire this year from the Daily Show, quit drinking and stay sober because you've just witnessed the impossible.
- (Update: from @word_34 aka SkarkWeekSneak) "Hillary" "email" or "server", you have to do double shots. Throw in "Benghazi" here too.
- Update) If any candidate accuses Obama of being the Worst President Ever, throw a dart at a photo of Dubya taped to the wall and take two drinks.
- (Update) If any candidate calls for the defunding of Planned Parenthood, take a drink. If the candidate calls for the arrest of Planned Parenthood staffers, take two drinks. If the candidate calls for the arrest of women who go to Planned Parenthood even for basic women's health care needs, turn off the TV and get stinking drunk because the Republicans are pretty much writing off the women's vote even in Red States.
- If any candidate calls for the impeachment of Barack Obama over:
Executive orders, take two drinks;
The Iran treaty, take six drinks in honor of the other nation signatories;
Disrespecting Congress, take seven drinks for each year Obama's had to deal with their sh-t;
Being an illegal Marxist Muslim Kenyan, finish whole bottle.
That's not all. Paul added special rules for each candidate, beginning with Donald Trump.
- If Trump says something insulting,
take a drink.
- If Trump says something demonstrably false,
take a drink.
- Actually, don't do either. The second he opens his mouth under those rules, you're pretty much gonna be passed out by the fifth minute of the debate.
- If Trump says he respects Latinos and can easily win their votes, take two drinks from any Dos Equis brand in front of you and laugh your ass off.
- If Trump complains about China in any way, take the Made In China tab on any Trump-labeled designer wear and tear it off, then take a drink.
Rules for each candidate deserve drinks for each candidate, and I found four complete recipes for Trump alone, beginning with Tipsy Bartender's
The Donald Trump Cocktail.
Finally a drink based on DONALD TRUMP! It's green for his money with a flaming orange top for his hair!
...
THE DONALD TRUMP COCKTAIL
1/2 oz. (15ml) Hennessy
1/2 oz. (15ml) Grand Marnier
1/2 oz. (15ml) Vodka
1/2 oz. (15ml) Peach Schnapps
1/2 oz. (15ml) Blue Curacao
1/2 oz. (15ml) Sweet & Sour
Orange Half
Bacardi 151
Even Skyy knows that Trump isn't getting the nomination. He also knows why
John McCain's history as a POW matters, but that's a subject for another entry.
In the meantime, I want to point out that there are other drinks with Trump's name attached to them. Tipsy Bartender's wasn't the first! Follow over the jump for more drink recipes inspired by Trump along with rules and drink recipes for the other GOP candidates in tonight's debate.
There are actually four official Trump drinks named after the man, three Trumptinis, the Trumpolitan, and the Trump Billionaire--yes, that exists. One of the Trumptinis is still available at the Trump International Sonesta Beach Resort in Miami. Cocktail Atlas has the recipe.
1 1/4 ounces Bacardi Lemon
3/4 ounce Cointreau
2 ounces Sour Mix
Splash of cranberry juice
Mix everything in a cocktail shaker with ice. Serve in a martini glass that has a sugared rim, and decorate with a T-shaped lemon peel.
The irony is that there used to be a Trump Vodka and this drink doesn't use it. Here's
a video of the now-defunct website in action that includes a partial recipe for another Trumptini to go with the two at
the image at the link (no, I'm not going to piss off the lawyers by copying it here).
"Success distilled"--yeah, that fits Trump's brand to a T
(tm). Too bad
the drink stopped being produced after 2011.
Finally, there's the Trump Billionaire for which The Spirit lists the booze ingredients only.
4 oz Vodka
12 Year Old Scotch
Serve in a: Cocktail Glass
That can't be all of it. The recipe
Saveur has for the Billionaire Cocktail has more ingredients.
Ingredients
2 oz. high-proof bourbon, such as Baker's
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
1/4 oz. absinthe bitters or absinthe
1/2 oz. grenadine syrup made from pomegranate, such as Employees Only
Lemon wheel, for garnish
Instructions
Combine bourbon, lemon juice, absinthe bitters or absinthe, and grenadine in a shaker over ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with the lemon wheel.
I don't know how to reconcile the two, so I'll leave it as an exercise for my readers with more experience in mixology.
Next, Jeb Bush.
- If Jeb says nice things about his brother's administration, take two drinks - one for Dubya and one for Cheney - and yell at the screen.
- If Jeb brings up school vouchers, take three drinks.
- If Jeb says there shouldn't be immigration reform, drink whole bottle.
- If Jeb says Obama is a terrible foreign policy President, take a drink from every bottle made by the 2003 Coalition of the Willing, and then vomit on a picture of Bush the Elder. Please have towels and trash cans handy.
You can test it out on C-SPAN's
Jeb Bush at Voters First Forum.
To drink in Jeb!'s honor, I recommend
Florida Recount from Barmeister.
50 ml Gin
50 ml White Rum
50 ml Whisky
100 ml Vodka
1 splash(es) Coca Cola
5 handful(s) Ice
Add spirits and ice to blender and blend. Continue adding ice until the substance becomes a (very) thick slush. Add to glass and top off with coke. If the slush has the right consistency, the coke should rest on top for a couple of seconds. Drink with straw. If it doesn't work try again....that is what they did in Florida 2000....
If that's not enough, Drinksmixer has a
Hanging Chadrecipe.
2 oz amaretto almond liqueur
2 oz raspberry schnapps
4 oz cranberry juice
Mix ingredients over ice and enjoy.
There is
another version of this drink, but it only lists ingredients, not portion sizes. Darn.
For Scott Walker:
- If Walker brings up his union-busting habits, take a drink.
- If Walker brings up his recall survivial, take two drinks.
- If Walker brings up how he squashed his John Doe investigation, drink whole bottle.
- If Walker tries wearing a Packer Cheesehead foam hat, drink from a Chicago microbrewery label and shout "DA BEARS".
- If Walker calls himself a "job creator", throw bottle at screen.
Here's
Scott Walker at Voters First Forum (C-SPAN) for a test drive.
Walker is an admitted beer drinker, so I recommend a Leinenkugel, my favorite Wisconsin beer. What, you think I'd suggest Schlitz or Pabst Blue Ribbon? Only if you're a hipster.
If one prefers cocktails, the best bet is a Brandy Old Fashioned, Wisconsin's state mixed drink. Here's Tipsy Bartender's version of the recipe.
A manly old school drink with a new twist for a new generation of drinkers...THE COGNAC OLD FASHIONED! This one is a variation of a true classic, and the taste is on point. The cognac combined with the sugar and bitters gives a unique, robust flavor. Try it!
...
2 oz Cognac
1 tsp Sugar
2 Dashes Bitters
Orange Wedge
Cherry
Crushed Ice
The next candidate doesn't drink alcohol, but that shouldn't be a problem.
For Mike Huckabee:
- If Huckabee claims he's a strong judge of character, scream "you hang out with child molesters!" and throw bottle at screen.
- If Huckabee talks about jamming with Ted "I Worship My God-Gun" Nugent, take two drinks and throw bottle at screen.
- If Huckabee tries to compare anything to the Holocaust, light a memorial candle and throw bottle at screen.
- If Huckabee tries to talk about stricter prison laws, or looser law enforcement rules to "fight crime", take a drink for every cop who died because of his asinine pardons as governor (5, at last count) and throw bottle at screen.
- If Huckabee appears on the screen, throw bottle at screen
Huckabee apparently didn't show at the Voters First Forum, so no C-SPAN video of him to try out these rules. No matter. Skip to the drink.
Since Huckabee is probably candidate best known for being a teetotaler, I'm going to share a mocktail. All Recipes has just the one--Monica's Baptist Sangria.
1/8 (2 liter) bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon instant tea powder
1/8 oranges, sliced into rounds
1/8 lemon, sliced into rounds
Pour the lemon-lime soda into a [glass], and stir in the instant iced tea. Float the orange and lemon slices...and add ice. Serve immediately.
Were you expecting a Virgin Mary? That's Santorum's drink, so save that for the early debate.
For Ben Carson:
- If Carson gets a non-Obamacare question, take a drink.
- If Carson actually answers a non-Obamacare question with a reasonable-sounding policy suggestion, drink whole bottle.
- If Carson talks like he's taken notes from Rick Perry, take three drinks.
Once again, here's the C-SPAN clip of
Dr. Ben Carson at Voters First Forum to test this section.
Carson is a surgeon from Detroit, Michigan, so I could go with either his career or his hometown. I'll start with his career and share Drinksmixer's recipe for the
Bleeding Surgeon.
1 shot dark rum
1 slice orange
1/2 glasscold Mountain Dew® citrus soda
1/2 glass cranberry juice
Pour Shot of Rum over slice of orange. Fill the remaining space in glass half way full of surge or similar drink. Finish off glass with cranberry juice. Be carefull, warm surge may foam over the glass.
As for Detroit, I'll save that for last.
For Ted Cruz:
- If Cruz attempts to suck the soul or eat the heart of Donald Trump live on-stage, drink whole bottle.
- If Cruz says anything about the legislation he's nuked in the House - while serving as a SENATOR - take a drink.
- If Cruz employs oratory tools that rely heavily on the teachings and practices of Cicero and Pericles, take two drinks.
- If Cruz not only panders on the issue of a Government Shutdown over Planned Parenthood, but also claims to have locked every door to the Capitol Building and threw away the key just to make certain, drink whole bottle.
- If Cruz fails to joke about Obama being born in Kenya, drink the entire bottle of whatever Canadian brand is in front of you and throw empty bottle at the Calgarian Candidate.
Since the original game is playing up Cruz's birthplace, so will I by sharing
the Calgary Herald's recipe for Stampede Caesar.
- Rim: Fresh cracked salt and black pepper with steak spice
- 1 oz Alberta premium rye whisky
- 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 2 dashes hot sauce
- 3 pinches steak spice
- 3 grinds fresh cracked salt and black pepper
- 1 oz beef stock
- 3 oz Mott's Clamato Cocktail
- Garnish: Grilled Alberta flank steak on a skewer
- Method: Rim a highball glass with citrus and rimmer. Fill the glass to the top with ice. Add the ingredients in the order listed. Stir well to mix the cocktail, and garnish.
The paper even posted a video to show its readers
how to make a Stampede-inspired caesar cocktail.
Oh, I almost forgot, test the rules on
Ted Cruz at Voters First Forum (C-SPAN).
Prepare to drink heavily when Cruz is talking.
Now from one Cuban-American candidate to the next.
For Marco Rubio:
- If Rubio talks about his exaggerated family story where his parents fled Cuba well before Castro took it over, take a drink.
- If Rubio speaks against the opening of relations with Cuba, take two drinks.
- If Rubio finishes the whole night without saying one word about immigration, finish off the bottle.
- If Rubio any says anything in Espanol, drink whole bottle.
Now, here's
Marco Rubio at Voters First Forum (C-SPAN).
The easy choice for Rubio is a
Cuba Libre.
Ice
2 ounces Cuban-style rum
4 ounces chilled Coca-Cola, preferably Mexican Coke
Wedge of lime
If you want to mix and drink something more adventurous, how about Tipsy Bartender's
Mojito?
The Mojito is classic cocktail that was born in Cuba. It's the perfect mixture of mint, lime, rum, simple syrup and soda water. It's super easy to make and extremely delicious. Enjoy!
...
MOJITO
1/2 Lime
12 Mint Leaves
1oz Simple Syrup
11/2oz White Rum
Top with Soda Water
Yum! Too bad the test clip only yielded one drink, and that from the general rules.
For Rand Paul:
- If Paul mentions the gold standard, take a drink.
- If Paul discusses the need to end American interventionist activity, take a drink.
- If Paul still says we need to bomb Syria though, take four drinks.
- If Paul lights up a blunt on-stage, do the same (in legal states only).
- If Paul revs up a chainsaw, switch the TV over to Evil Dead II and watch a real expert - BRRRRRUUUUUUCCCEEEEEEE! - wield one.
Let's see how these work on
Rand Paul at Voters First Forum (C-SPAN).
No drink says Kentucky more than a mint julep and Tipsy Bartender has just the recipe in
How to make the Perfect Mint Julep.
Once again it is time for the great Kentucky Derby. There is no drink more synonymous with this horse race than...THE PEFECT MINT JULEP! At this race one can buy Mint Juleps for as much as $1,000 a glass! The proceeds go to charity so we won't knock anyone for buying one, but in you aren't attending the most exciting two minutes in sports, you can make one yourself at home, and we promise it'll be just as delicious! It is the perfect mix of mint, bourbon, and sugar. If you find straight whiskey a little too harsh, the ingredients in a Mint Julep soften the taste to pure smoothness. This famous, traditional drink is definitely a cocktail that everyone should try!
...
PERFECT MINT JULEP
10 mint leaves
1 cup bourbon
1/4 cup simple syrup
1 tbsp powdered sugar
And now, the last candidate.
For Chris Christie:
- If Christie tries to quote Springsteen, throw bottle at screen.
- If Christie tries to punch somebody on stage, take a drink.
- If Christie tries to punch one of the debate moderators, take three drinks.
- If Christie tries to punch a teacher in the audience, finish whole bottle.
- If Christie gets arrested during the debate over his ethics failures and dragged off-stage, drink whole bottle
Here he is in
Chris Christie at Voters First Forum (C-SPAN).
So what am I recommending for
Fat Bastard? How about
The Snooki Bubble-Up to commemorate
his denying "Jersey Shore" a tax credit.
3/4 oz. lemon-lime soda
3/4 oz. cranberry juice
1 oz. "Three-O Bubble" (bubble gum-flavored vodka)
Combine ingredients with ice and garnish with a lime wedge.
For a more classic drink, Drinksmixer has a recipe for
Jersey Devil.
1 gal cranberry juice
2 qt apple cider
1 qt Applejack® brandy
1 sliced apple
Put cranberry juice in a punch bowl. Add apple cider/juice and apple juice brandy to taste. Slice apple in 3/16th.
I test drove the rules for Kasich based already on C-SPAN video of
John Kasich at Voters First Forum.
If Kasich is even on the stage, take two drinks right off the bat because it probably means Christie got arrested beforehand and there was an opening. Okay, it looks like Laughing Boy from Dayton made it. Go ahead, Ohio, take a drink right off the bat.
- If Kasich talks about immigration reform, take a drink
- If Kasich defends his time working for Lehman Brothers, throw bottle at screen
- If Kasich mentions how he was with the bipartisan team that got a balanced budget going in Congress back in the 1990s, take a drink and pity the poor guy because he just used the word 'bipartisan' in front of a GOP primary crowd that considers it a trigger word.
I got four drinks in four minutes, one for eliminating "Sanctuary Cities" as an example of out-pandering Trump, one drink for mentioning immigration reform, however indirectly, and two for mentioning balancing the budget twice. I didn't expect Kasich to be that interesting. It's not the booze; I was drinking Crystal Lite.
Speaking of which, what drink do I suggest for the Governor of Ohio? How about a Columbus Cocktail after Kasich's home town of Columbus, Ohio?
1 1/2 oz gold rum
3/4 oz apricot brandy
1 oz lime juice
Shake briefly with a glassful of crushed ice, and strain into a double-cocktail glass. Add a slice of lime and serve.
And now,
The Last Word, a drink from Detroit in honor of Ben Carson.
Equal parts gin, chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and fresh lime juice, this is an old-fashioned cocktail that feels awfully modern. Its equally-portioned ingredients make for easy scaling: mix up a triple or quadruple batch to serve several drinkers at once.
makes One Cocktail
Ingredients
3/4 oz. gin
3/4 oz. green Chartreuse
3/4 oz. maraschino liqueur, like Luxardo
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
Twist of lime for garnish
Instructions
Vigorously shake all ingredients together with ice. Strain into a martini glass or a coupe and garnish with lime twist.
Enjoy the debate and don't get too blitzed!