We’ve all been there. You go out for one drink for happy hour with your co-workers and end up staying out and continuing drinking a mad mixture of beer, shots, and cocktails until the bartender turns on the lights and starts blasting Semisonic’s classic “Closing Time.” You stagger to an Uber and head home only to wake up the next morning with an epic headache and you already used up all your “sick” days to fly to Vegas to see Phish at the Sphere.
What do you do?
If you drink at all and you’re older than 25, there’s a decent chance you’ll end up with some type of hangover this spring, even if it’s just a slightly rumbly stomach. The only real way to avoid the dreaded hangover is to not drink alcohol at all. But, if that’s just not an option for you, there are ways to make your head and your gut feel slightly (if not a lot) better so you can have a reasonably productive day after $2 mai tai night.
We asked a handful of well-known bartenders to tell us their hangover cures. Keep scrolling to see them all. Some of them might even work.
Pickle Juice
Kyle Bobkowski, beverage manager at Crossroads Hotel in Kansas City
“A long hot shower, followed by a short burst of cold water, usually gets me on the right track after a long, fun night. But my favorite thing to do is finish a night or start a rough morning is the brine in bread & butter pickles and I do swear by that. Regular pickle brine will do the same thing, but I love the flavor of bread & butter pickles and the vinegar, sugar, and salt are a quick dose of the electrolytes your body craves.”
The Bartender’s AlkaSeltzer
Martin Gutierrez, bar manager at Joia Beach’s Bar in Miami
“Today if I’m hungover I just get some carbs and a lot of water. If I have nausea, a big glass of sparkling water with Angostura, lemon juice, and salt works perfectly. This has a name in the bar world, ‘the bartender’s AlkaSeltzer’. Also to prevent a hangover, before you go to sleep, a big glass of water with two ibuprofen is great. This helps you to feel better when you wake up.”
Poached Eggs With Hot Sauce
Tyler Chauvin, assistant general manager of food & beverage at Swingers in New York City
“I’m from New Orleans, so I can confidently say I’ve spent most of my adult life enjoying imbibing and chasing that perfect hangover cure. And the only thing that ever came close to working other than coconut water was from my grandma. She would fix the perfect hangover cure every Sunday: poached eggs drenched in Crystal hot sauce with smothered liver and onions on the side. The family would pile around the table, bleary-eyed and exhausted, scarf down that greasy, protein-rich meal, and then instantly knock out on the couch. An hour later, you would feel like a human again.”
Mountain Dew and Wendy’s
Jose Gil, senior bar manager at American Social in Miami
“My go-to hangover cure is Mountain Dew, a Wendy’s Jr Bacon Cheeseburger, three ibuprofen, and a nap. It works every time, and I’d rather not question it. I don’t know why it works. The combination of sugary soda, meat, cheese, and headache medicine just works.”
Hot, Spicy Soup
Kelvin Thairu, head bartender at Hero Bar in Nairobi, Kenya
“The most effective way I use to cure my hangover is by eating hot spicy soup in the morning and staying hydrated throughout the day by drinking water or juices. The soup can be either seafood, chicken, or any red meat soup.”
Water
Nick Jackson, head bartender at The Rum House in New York City
“Nothing works better than water to cure a hangover. While drinking or before bed the night before a hangover. I’ve had many mornings waking up to a full glass of water on the nightstand, the inebriated intentions were there the night before but the follow-through was not. Of course, I drink that water when I wake up. In the case of a killer hangover, I usually drink as much water as possible (you are dehydrated), pop a pain reliever, and look for a replenishing smoothie to get some much-needed nutrients.”
Cold Shower
Simon Sebbah, beverage director at Grand Tour Hospitality in New York City
“I am not a massive drinker, which means my hangovers are very rare. Taking a cold shower, brushing my teeth, and having a nice cup of coffee usually does the trick for me. But, if you only do one, the cold show is a shock to your system that should help you alleviate your hangover symptoms. Avoiding food until alcohol is out of your system is the best advice I can give, and it has been working for me so far.”
Pedialyte
Petr Balcarovsky, lead bartender of The Apparatus Room at Detroit Foundation Hotel in Detroit
“Say goodbye to those dreadful hangover symptoms with a secret weapon that’s been right under your nose since childhood: Pedialyte. Yes, that’s right – the same sugary elixir your mom used to give you when you were feeling under the weather can work wonders on your adult self too. I saw this once in a movie and thought ‘Hey, that makes sense!’ And sure enough, after doing my research I used it right and it worked. It’s a game-changer for adults who need a quick and effective hangover remedy. But here’s the kicker: the key to getting the most out of Pedialyte is to drink it as soon as you walk through the door, rather than waiting until the next morning when the damage is already done. It’s all about the electrolytes and glucose in the formula, which supercharge the absorption of water in your body, helping to restore your fluid balance and get you back on your feet in no time.”
THC Gummy
Christine Wiseman, global beverage director for Bar Lab Hospitality in Miami
“This is a fail-proof cure: a low-dose THC gummy, Mexican Coca-Cola, 3 Excedrin, and a hot shower. Sometimes, I take more than just one (any of the above). I don’t know which one does the trick. Science says it’s the THC gummy or the Excedrin.”
Grease
Justin Lawrence, head bartender at Vasili’s in Naperville, Illinois
“I like to kill my hangovers with large amounts of grease. It’s not good for me in the long run but it typically helps me recover pretty fast. I’ve recently been fighting off my hangovers with a Portillo’s Big beef combo (Italian beef and sausage) or a Portillo’s Double bacon cheeseburger. I think at this point it’s kind of an unspoken rule at work. We go out drinking the night before and next shift we Door Dash Portillo’s before the shift. But I do think whether I drink or not I’d probably find an excuse to get in my Portillo’s fix.”
Coconut Water
Waél Deek, beverage director at One More Hospitality Group in New York City
“My choice for hangovers is coconut water. It’s rich in electrolytes and hydrating properties, helping to replenish fluids lost during alcohol consumption. Plus, it’s easy on the stomach, making it a soothing choice for relieving hangover symptoms.”