Top Hangover Cures
Some hangover cures are based on scientific fact, others are the product of alcohol-sodden delusions. But when your head’s pounding and you’ve got the cold sweats, they’re all worth considering…
Image courtesy of Coxtails
Method one – hair of the dog
Many of the best hangover cures rely on more alcohol to remove the misery. The science to support this theory is thin, unless you count the placebo effect – where a thing works because you think it will. Depending on how bad you feel, you may or may not be up to more booze anyway, but if you are, the best two to try are:
Banana cow
A favourite hangover cure of celebrated restauranteur ‘Trader’ Vic Bergeron. Bananas are an important source of potassium, which your body needs in moments like this.
Ingredients
• 1 crushed ripe banana
• 2 level tablespoons powdered sugar
• 3 measures whole milk
• 1 measure rum
• plenty of crushed ice
Instructions:
Pour into a large glass, stir frantically and drink.
Many people attribute strange and mystical curative powers to this simple drink:
Bloody Mary
Ingredients
• 4 measures tomato juice
• 1½ measures vodka
• ¼ measure lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• a drop of Tabasco
• Celery salt, pepper, paprika to taste
Instructions:
Sip slowly. Serve with celery, which you should consider breakfast.
Method two – if you can’t stomach more alcohol, try this…
Virgin fogcutter
Ingredients:
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 drop Tabasco
• 1 raw egg
• Teaspoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Pour into a whisky glass, down in one, then repeat until you feel better or die, whichever is the sooner.
Method three – give your body what it needs
The reasoning behind this approach is that there’s little in this world that a hearty breakfast won’t cure, supposedly by soaking up all the toxins you ingested the night before. You’ll know when the time is right to head out into the morning light to place your order.
The full English breakfast
This means at least five of the following: sausage, eggs, bacon, beans, chips (especially chips), mushrooms, black pudding, fried tomatoes, fried bread, plus a cup of milky tea and a can of Coke (not diet Coke).
Instructions:
Take it one mouthful at a time and use the tea to settle your stomach.
Method four – prevention
The sure-fire way to avoid hangover misery is not to get one in the first place. Here are a few things to consider:
Hose it down
Much of the pain of the hangover is caused by dehydration, so before passing out,drink one glass of water or juice for every pint of beer, glass of wine or measure of spirits you’ve had.
Nourish your body, not the hangover
A 1000mg tablet of Vitamin C before retiring may or may not help, but it certainly won’t hurt.
Pre-emptive strike
If you know you’re heading for a first-class hangover, some people swear by taking a couple of Ibuprofen-based analgesics (like Nurofen) before they go to sleep. This is supposed to reduce swelling in your brain and start acting on the pain before it sets in. (Caution: do not take Nurofen or any other medicines except as instructed.)
Plink-plink fizz
For the unwell stomach that accompanies a hangover, try Alka Seltzer.
Method five – grin (no, not gin) and bear it!
An untreated hangover lasts approximately three hours from whenever you get out of bed and not before. So don’t bother trying to sleep it off or staying under the covers. Get up, get dressed, have a shower and mutter ‘never again’ as you shamble downstairs.
There is lots more Party advice available on Confetti!