The gang on How I Met Your Mother love to drink, which is just one of the many reasons I love them. Did you ever notice how on Friends every time one of them would get drunk, it was a rare and regrettable occurrence? For twenty-somethings? In New York City? Not. Realistic. You guys.

Tonight, the phantom sixth central character of the series, their old pal Booze, will take the spotlight as Robin and Lily devise a plan to get Marshall and Barney back on good terms after they fall out over Marshall leaving GNB. And to do so, they will take the age-old advice of Homer Simpson, and get the boys drunk to get them back together. (“Here’s to alcohol: The cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems!”)

But what kind of drunk should they get Barney and Marshall? In this hilarious extended preview, the girls weed out the types of alcohol that won’t work (and we learn once again that Lily has a little bit of Willow in her after all):

Another reason I love HIMYM: A Richard Dawson joke! Do you remember him? It was a different time back then. A time when being completely creepy with young girls was met with laughter and good cheer. It doesn’t surprise me that this guy is one of Barney’s subconscious idols:

Watch “Perfect Cocktail” tonight at 8pm on CBS to find out what magical drink Robin and Lily will make that will make Marshall and Barney be friends again. What’s left? Tequila? Vodka? Whiskey? My bet is on whiskey. It screams male bonding.

(Image courtesy of CBS)

Meghan Carlson

Senior Writer, BuddyTV

Meghan hails from Walla Walla, WA, the proud home of the world’s best sweet onions and Adam West, the original Batman. An avid grammarian and over-analyzer, you can usually find her thinking too hard about plot devices in favorites like The Office, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and How I Met Your Mother. In her spare time, Meghan enjoys drawing, shopping, trying to be funny (and often failing), and not understanding the whole Twilight thing. She’s got a BA in English and Studio Art from Whitman College, which makes her a professional arguer, daydreamer, and doodler.