12 Hangover Cures From Seattle’s Top Bartenders

Even though we’re a bit deeper into January, you still may be reeling from the holiday indulging–or, it could be that the Seahawks awesome victory has led to victory parties that led to hangovers. No matter what, if you’ve imbibed lately and are feeling rough the next day, it’s good to have a hangover cure close at hand.

And no one knows what alleviates a hangover better than bartenders, so I asked a few of them:

• If you wake up with a bit of a hangover, what’s your personal cure?

• If a customer comes in talking of his or her hangover and asks you what to order, what do you suggest and why?

Jesse Poole, E. Smith Mercantile

1. We have a Luyties homeopathic hangover pill in the shop that I’ve used for years. A dose before bed and another in the morning and I’m basically good as new. For those extra stubborn hangovers, follow up the Luyties with a Gorditos wet burrito.

2. For a back-on-the-horse beverage cure, we have a really delicious [read: potent] coffee tincture we make in house. I like to pair it with a little crème de rose and some half and half for fat. Coats the stomach and gives you a little pep in your step.

Perryn Wright, Teachers Lounge

1.  I don’t get hung over much anymore. I can chock this up to neither maturity nor moderation. On the rare occasion that I’m drinking more than usual, like my birthday, or Flag Day, I normally do a preemptive strike and have a big glass of water and an Advil before going to bed. I wouldn’t say it eliminates a hangover, but can sure take the stink off of one; normally nothing that another Advil, and some nice, greasy food can’t straighten out.

2.  When someone with a hangover asks what to order, the two obvious options are A) hair of the dog, ie: drink the same thing that got them into this mess or B) Bloody Mary. I know that Option A can work for some, but don’t know quite why. Must be something chemical. I assume that Option B works either because of the combination of a little booze and vitamins, or in my case, to induce vomiting because of my aversion to the beverage. Once empty, one can start their day all over again. 

Kathleen Manley, Rob Roy

1. My personal, no-fail hangover cure is exercise. I know that’s not what anyone wants to hear, but there just isn’t anything better than forcing yourself to sweat it out. I also like carrot juice. Alcohol contains a lot of sugar, so when you drink to excess your blood sugar spikes, then plummets. Carrot juice is sweet enough to bring it back up a little bit, but not sugary enough to cause it to spike again. Coconut water also works and has potassium (good for dehydration).

2. If a guest at the bar is feeling hungover, I’m probably not going to recommend they take a jog around the block! For hair of the dog, I suggest something low-alcohol, mildly flavored, and not too acidic. Lillet on the rocks with a twist of lemon peel is a great choice, it’s crisp and refreshing and lightly bittersweet. A very dilute gin and tonic is also good, and has carbonation (nice for an upset stomach).

Sara Rosales, Radiator Whiskey

1. My personal cure for a hangover is to drink quality, clean whiskey the night before, but if I’ve managed to take in TOO much quality, clean whisky then I wake up with an electrolyte packet and head directly to the closest Pho restaurant. Then I come home and watch a marathon of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies.

2. If someone were to come into Radiator and ask what to order, I would order them our fried pork shank since the grease will line the stomach, the salt will help replenish electrolytes, and it will also make you really, really happy. Then I would make them an Old Fashioned because the bitters will help ease your stomach, the liquor will restore your blood alcohols, and it has a little sugar to raise your blood sugar. At Radiator we do a bacon fat wash using Maker’s 46 or Knob Creek Bourbon, it also happens to make a fantastic Old Fashioned so you can get the best of both worlds.

Bridget Maloney, Witness

1. If I wake up with a hangover I take one of two routes: Go to brunch with my sunglasses on, and get some greasy food and some hair of the dog, usually in the form of Maker’s Mark or mezcal. Or, if I am feeling particularly ambitious, I go the healthy route where I go buy some fresh pressed juice and take a hot yoga class. Be careful with the hot yoga though! The heat could be too much if you’re dehydrated. I learned this the hard way.

2. If someone comes in feeling all the pain from the night before, I like to make them an alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverage with house made ginger syrup, bitters, and soda.  Ginger is god’s gift for combating some of that hung-over nausea and bitters has lots of herbs that settle the stomach as well. I will keep the water flowing for any dehydration issues, and I’ll suggest some delicious greasy salty food to help them feel human again.

Matthew Collette, Damn The Weather

1.  I’ll almost always have a Nunn tablet (electrolyte replacement) followed immediately by a kombucha. Kinda of the replace and purify approach. Once all that has settled, it’s a double espresso with a mineral water on side.

2.  Every guest is different and experiences hangover pain uniquely, but I’ll usually lean towards suggesting something fresh and vibrant, like our Jungle Bird cocktail (rum, Campari, fresh pineapple juice, and fresh lime juice). I will always try my best to steer them away from the sodium-loaded and cheap-ethanol-based canned tomato soup everybody is so conditioned to request after a night out. I find that a fresh and vibrant cocktail will help towards feeling, well, fresh and vibrant again, while a dull and salty cocktail will make you feel exactly that.