Hangover Cures

It’s Monday morning and you probably don’t want to be at work. Maybe, if you felt adventurous last night you went out with all your friends that had MLK off. Leaving you tired, cranky and yes, hungover.

A hangover is a right of passage. Just like a walk-of-shame, blistered feet from dancing until dawn, and the pounding reminder that you thought you were fabulous last night, a hangover is part of the experience.

Little did you know sweetheart, that matted hair, running eyeliner, and that slouch in your step don’t give you anything but a good story … and a massive headache.

Everyone has their “cures” but usually they all involve one or more of the following: greasy food, shock therapy, or hair of the dog.

Whether it be the “Kitchen Sink” order at brunch, a bloody mary, or jumping into the ocean, everyone does SOMETHING after they get out of bed. Key point, after they get out of bed, which in the interim of deciding which method to choose, is the best place to stay.

My sister and The Candy Man prefer breakfast sandwiches. Tweedle Dee prefers a EXTRA LARGE coffee from the cheapest nearest convenience store and an assortment of junk sometimes including cigarettes, candy, or vegetables. It’s odd.

My friends in the South craved bacon … duh. Waffles, fried chicken, maple syrup, eggs, and tons of bacon. When I was at school a girlfriend and I would  go to the local brewery (no we’re not alcoholics, yes, we were the only ones there) and order beers, BLT’s, and fries seasoned with old bay and ketchup and mustard spiked with ale. Worked like a charm.

My sassy sister friend usually eats AFTER she comes home, usually things she regrets and wouldn’t be caught DEAD eating in daylight and craves only a bloody mary and possibly some yogurt the following morning.

When at Mardi Gras a few years ago (without a hotel room, and getting into the wee hours of the morning aka 7 am), we ventured into a casino, allowed the boys to play poker until they fell asleep at the tables (no joke) … and hit up the 24 hr. $12 all you can eat and drink buffet … corn beef hash and biscuits anyone? Not a proud moment.

For my mother it’s a burger, for my boyfriend it’s pancakes, for my best friend it sometimes involves inhaling 2 (sometimes 3) bagels and a surf. For myself it usually involves large amounts of bread whether it be bagels, baguettes, or sandwiches, it doesn’t really matter what’s in between them at that point.

Here’s an article that I found interesting from Grub Street that was posted around New Years Eve with NYC bartenders best picks for “curing” the hangover. All in all, there’s not much you can do, embrace it. Share the details from the night before, puke in the bathroom at work, and remember no matter how many times you utter, “I’m never doing that again,” you will, don’t worry.

Blood Mary for Sassy (an adaptation of Freeman’s Blood Mary)

2 ounces vodka

2 ounces tomato juice

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/3 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 dash Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon caper brine (from the jar)

2 pinches of celery salt

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon freshly grated horseradish

Shake and pour over ice.