It's been so long since new episodes of "Mad Men" have aired that I've almost forgotten what the show is about -- beyond the fact that it's the iconic story of a frustrated high-school teacher, Walt Draper, who decides to secretly supplement his meager income by creating incredibly potent advertising in an RV parked in the New Mexico desert. Or something like that? Again, it's been awhile.
Anyway, the seventh season kicks off on AMC on Sunday, and what I do remember about the series is its nostalgic celebration of vices, including excessive drinking, which has made it a perfect foil for drinking games. As part of Ad Age's blanket, Eyewitness [to What's on TV] News Team coverage of the final season of "Mad Men," we'll be monitoring each episode for new reasons to sip or gulp. In the meantime, here's a curated selection of previous "Man Men" drinking games that might serve as inspiration to you:
• Gothamist's "Mad Men" Season 5 Drinking Game included a couple dozen helpful prompts, such as "Take a sip when Roger Sterling cracks a joke" and "Take a shot whenever Betty is a terrible mother."
• The Huffington Post created the "Mad Men" Season 6 Finale Drinking Game, which included prompts like "Take a shot when Pete gets anywhere near his gun again" and "Swig some Manischewitz if Ginsberg shoots down someone's idea."
• Drinking Cinema published an all-purpose, all-season "Mad Men" drinking game that included such high-minded gems as "Drink whenever you see Knoll furniture" and "Drink whenever you see mid-century underwear (e.g., bras, boxers, pantyhose garters)."
• The Daily Beast also offered an all-purpose "Mad Men" drinking game that kicked off with "Take a sip when there's sexual harassment in the workplace."
P.S. Remember, you could also just take a drink anytime a "Mad Men" character takes a drink. Here, use this for practice:
Simon Dumenco is the "Media Guy" columnist for Advertising Age. You can follow him on Twitter @simondumenco.
