November 4th. The countdown has begun, and it’s time to get down to logistics. As you watch this epic showdown — what might be the most important election of our generation — what will YOU be drinking? The beverage of choice is contingent on another decision: yea or nay to classes? If you have an early start, pace yourself; this day is more of a marathon and less of a sprint. A quality beer is a good way to go, particularly Stella Artois or Pilsner Urquell. You will be thankful five hours later that you chose to go down the enlightened beer road rather than the Hi-Life one. Personally, under most circumstances, I am not a huge fan of beer. Instead, I will be drinking gin and tonics, which are both delicious and something that you can sip, thereby making moderation much more of a possibility. It’s also the drink that I imagine Barack making himself at the end of a long day. There’s something immensely suave about the gin and tonic, but also rough around the edges. It’s not too highbrow and grandfatherly like port, but not quite a beer either. Not unlike Mr. Obama, it is a middle-ground drink, acceptable to a fairly wide range of people, though there are those miscreants out there who declare an unbeatable hatred for it. If you are, for some mysterious reason, not a fan of gin, don’t despair. Barack could — by a stretch of the imagination — also be a rum and Coke, smooth and sociable, a drink that you have at parties as you mingle and work those networking skillz. As we await the results, we can move on to many different options. There’s the edgier alternative to the gin and tonic, the vodka tonic or, for those of us who are truly anxious, the whisky sour, or for the even fainter-hearted, the amaretto sour. As a matter of fact, I’ve always imagined McCain as a whisky kind of man, gruff and hardened. A good scotch whisky, if you really like the guy.

And then, here it is: the proclamation, the decision, the majority (one would hope). What will you drink to top off such a moment? If it’s a victory for the blues, without a question, it’ll be Moet and Veuve Clicquot all around. Prosecco, perhaps, for those of us feeling a little threadbare in the pockets. If I have to hear about Joe Six-Pack for the next four years, ring me up — we can commiserate over a bottle of Don Alejandro together.