The year is coming to a close and the biggest party of the year is still to come! New Year’s Eve – celebrating the old and ringing in the new. And… let’s just say this usually involves at least a cocktail or two.
I have some great ways to give you a good start for the New Year, even if you do over-indulge a bit the night before.
My go-to cure is my Hangover Helper. Just empty a packet of Emergen C – (I like orange or raspberry) – into a juice glass and add a little vodka (or gin if you’re so inclined), a dash of bitters, and soda water. Top with a few drops of olive oil – yep, that’s right… Drink up!
My Hangover Helper works…I swear!
(Photo from Kathy Casey’s Sips & Apps, Chronicle Books – Angie Norwood Browne)
New Year’s Day entertaining? A Bloody Mary Bar for brunch will definitely help with that headache – with a little hair of the dog! Set up a DIY station and let your guests mix up their own concoctions. Put out different spirits (vodka, whiskey, tequila, gin, etc.), my go-to housemade Balsamic Bloody Mary mix, hot sauce, and lots of garnish goodies from pickled veggies to shrimp to beef jerky.
And don’t forget to eat! Boosting your metabolism will make you feel better faster than anything. And for some reason, a bacon sandwich sometimes can be the magic cure. You’ll feel better in no time!
Happy New Year’s! –Kathy
Hangover Helper
Emergen-C gives you a C- and B-vitamin boost and replaces some lost electrolytes, vodka is a little “hair of the dog,” bitters is a digestif, soda supplies bubbles, and the olive oil . . . well, an old bootlegger once told me that a small spoonful was good for coating a morning-after stomach.
Makes 1 drink
1 packet raspberry- or orange-flavored Emergen-C
1 oz vodka or gin
2 dashes Angostura bitters
4 oz chilled soda water
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
Empty the packet of Emergen-C into an old-fashioned or juice glass. Measure in the vodka. Add the bitters and soda water and stir. Top with olive oil if desired. Drink and feel better!
Recipe from Kathy Casey’s Sips & Apps, Chronicle Books.
