HangOver part two

Drinking Juice/Coffee Afterward: The base premise behind both of these seems to be that drinking lots of juice or coffee will speed up your metabolism and thus the processing of the alcohol. The problem with juice is that it would take gallons of juice to get enough sugar in your system to really change your metabolic rate—an already suspect line of reasoning since researchers in the 1970s established that drinking lots of juice slows down the metabolizing of alcohol. Then, even if the questionable trick worked, you'd have to deal with the massive insulin spike and sugar crash that followed—which can be just as nasty as a hangover. Hydration is important, especially after drinking it up, but juice doesn't do anything special to help you.

Coffee fails in a related fashion. If you drank enough coffee to speed up your metabolism enough to effect the processing of alcohol you'd give yourself heart palpitations and the side effects of mega-dosing on caffeine would dwarf the side effects of your hangover. Even worse, one study suggests that coffee-plus-hangover is a recipe for bad decision making.

If a glass of V8 or a strong cup of coffee makes you feel better/sober up then sure, drink some. Just don't expect it to magically absorb all that vodka. Between the two, the V8 is the superior choice—coffee is a diuretic and light on any nutritional value, whereas your V8 is packed with vitamins and salt, both of which you could use some more of after a night of drinking.

Slamming Pain Killers: Don't load up on over-the-counter pain killers before bed. Not only do drugs like Aspirin and Acetaminophen have short windows of effectiveness in the body—you'll be asleep for their most effective time—but they're hard on your stomach and liver. That's not normally an issue when you're sober, but now is the time to pay attention to those bottle-warnings. Acetaminophen is especially harsh on your liver—thus the big warning on the box of Tylenol about not taking it along with alcohol. Save the pain killers for the next day and only if you really need them—again, you need to let your body focus on purging the alcohol.

 

Drinking Water: Water is a magical elixir that makes your body function. You can never go wrong drinking lots of it and it's the absolute best thing to keep yourself from getting hungover and speeding up hangover recovery. Even better than just drinking a lot of water after the fact is drinking water throughout the prior night.

My unofficial never-have-hangovers routine is to drink a tall glass of water for every unit of alcohol I consume—a unit being one of the equivalency portions they teach in you in health class—1 shot=1 glass of wine=1 beer. Drink water frequently through the night, drink lots of water before you go to bed, drink more water in the morning. In addition to keeping you well hydrated, this technique also serves to regulate alcohol consumption. Would anyone really do 20 shots in an evening if they had to drink around 2 gallons of water to go with them?

 

Eat Up: Drinking liquids doesn't close the valve in your stomach or jump start the metabolic process—one of the reasons drinking cola fattens you up so quickly—so make sure you eat well before you start drinking. The myth side of this tip is that food some how absorbs alcohol and locks it up until your body digests the food. The real reason is the valve in your stomach closes to start the digestion process and it takes longer for the alcohol to absorb into your system—a huge cheeseburger is a metaphorical whiskey-sponge, not a literal one.

A solid meal will cause your stomach to focus on slowing the movement of food and liquid through your body so the digestive process can occur. If you skip the pre-bar-hopping meal, the alcohol you drink is essentially boarding a speed train to your blood stream. Focus on fat and protein-loaded foods to provide a nice slow-burning meal that will help regulate the absorption of alcohol.

 

 

 

Don't neglect a good breakfast, either. You may not feel like eating in the morning, but the last thing your body needs is you stumbling around like a zombie on and empty stomach. Mopping up the mess you made with a bottle of Tequila—just because it's a lighter-colored liquor doesn't always mean it'll protect you from a hangover—is hard work, and you'd be a jerk not to feed the help. Get a solid breakfast with complex carbs and some protein—a case for a farmer's omelet and some thick-sliced toast if there ever was one or perhaps a nice delicious bacon sandwich—to help your body power through

Technorati Tags: drink,beer,hangover

The HangOver

1.

Lots and lots of beer...it can be a bad idea.
Lots and lots of beer...it can be a bad idea.
Know your limits. 75% of people who imbibe alcohol to intoxication will have a hangover the next day. The number of alcoholic beverages it takes to reach a state of intoxication varies from person to person. Don't have more than 3 beverages in 1-2 hours, and no more than 5 beverages in one night.[2] Women and people of Asian descent might want to consider having a little less because they are more susceptible to hangovers. Women tend to have a lower metabolic rate due to a higher ratio of body fat and Asians tend to have lower levels of alcohol dehydrogenase, an enzyme that breaks down alcohol.


2.

Eat before going out so alcohol isn't absorbed as quickly.
3.

Have a glass of milk before alcohol. It coats the lining of your stomach and slows the absorption of alcohol.
4.

Choose light liquors (vodka, gin) over dark liquors (brandy, whiskey). They have fewer congeners, which contribute to hangovers.[1] Overall, alcoholic beverages with more chemicals produce worse hangovers. Red wine is one of the worst culprits.[3] A study found that hangover symptoms varied by the type of alcohol consumed: (in order of decreasing severity) brandy, red wine, rum, whisky, white wine, gin, vodka, and pure ethanol.
5.

Stick with noncarbonated mixers. Carbonated mixers accelerate alcohol absorption.[1]
6.

Choose less concentrated alcoholic beverages. Beer is better than shots of whiskey, for example.
7.

Stick with one type of alcohol. Variety is not the spice of life in terms of a hangover.
8.

Stay hydrated. Alcohol makes you urinate more, which can lead to dehydration. Have a glass of water before, during, and after consuming alcohol. The processes that break down alcohol also produce lactic acid and other chemicals that interfere with the production of glucose (sugar) and electrolytes; that's why sports beverages are a good idea.[2] Avoid caffeinated beverages - those make you urinate more, too. Have one glass of water after each alcoholic beverage. It keeps you hydrated and can also slow your alcohol consumption.
9.

Be happy. Research suggests that guilt about alcohol consumption, a neurotic personality, becoming angry or depressed while consuming alcohol, and having suffered "negative life events" in the past 12 months are better predictors of symptoms of hangovers than how much or what alcohol you consume during the night!

Drinks from the films

A list of some of the greatest drinks that feature in the films

No.10 - Groundhog Day– Sweet vermouth on the rocks with a twist

During the day that Bill Murray has to repeat over and over again, he takes Andie MacDowell to a bar. At first, he orders a Jim Beam on the rocks, a solid drink for any man. She orders this drink and then launches into a monologue about how it makes her think of Rome. The next time Murray orders her drink and impresses her by launching into the same reasoning.

Recipe
Sweet vermouth
Lemon wedge

Fill a double old-fashioned cocktail glass with ice. Pour the vermouth, stir and twist lemon over the glass. Serve with the lemon twist as garnish.

No.9 - The Nutty Professor (original version) - Alaskan Polar Bear Heater

Buddy Love, Professor Julius Kelp’s alter ego, orders this at a bar. Of course, the bartender has never heard of it, so Love laundry-lists the ingredients. The bartender smirks: “You going to drink this here, or are you going to take it home and rub it on your chest?” While the movie meant it to be a joke, the drink has actually entered drink culture. Despite its annoying ingredients and bitter taste, it’s drinkable. It gets points for originality, but honestly it’s not that tasty.

Recipe
2 shots of vodka
A little rum
Some bitters
Smidgen of vinegar
Shot of vermouth
Shot of gin
A little brandy
Lemon peel
Orange peel
Cherry
More scotch
Mix it nice

Pour it over ice in a tall glass.

No.8 - Cocktail - Red-Eye

From the most pivotal bar movie of the ‘80s comes this doozy. When Brian Flanagan (Tom Cruise) walks in to ask for a bartending job, Doug is mixing up a Red-Eye. Later, when Flanagan is trying to cure a hangover with pizza, his mentor explains the ingredients. Various drinks use the name, but it’s conceivable that Cocktail launched this variation into the world. It actually does help hangovers, as long as the egg doesn’t make you too nauseous.

Recipe
1 oz vodka
6 oz tomato juice
1 can of beer
1 raw egg

Into a tall frosty mug, pour the vodka and tomato juice. Pour in the beer, then crack the egg into it. Do not stir.

No.7 - The Seven Year Itch - Whisky Sours

This film has one of the most iconic images from all of cinema: Marilyn Monroe standing over a subway grate as her dress is blown up. The film also features the best recipe for a breakfast of champions. Richard Sherman, the man trying not to cheat on his absent wife, tells his secretary: “I'm perfectly capable of fixing my own breakfast. As a matter of fact, I had a peanut butter sandwich and two Whisky Sours.”

The first published account of a Whisky Sour is from an 1870 newspaper in Wisconsin. Another tale claims an English steward invented it after opening a bar in Peru around the same time, inspired by the abundant limes from a nearby grove.

Recipe
1 1/2 oz bourbon (or rye, or Irish whiskey)
1 1/2 oz lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1/2 - 3/4 tsp sugar
Orange slice
Maraschino cherry

Shake with ice and serve over ice in an old-fashioned glass. Garnish with the cherry and orange slice.

No.6 - It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World - Old Fashioned

In a classic scene from this screwball comedy, Tyler Fitzgerald (played by the actor who was Thurston Howell III) decides he needs a drink as he’s flying Benjy Benjamin (Buddy Hackett) and Ding Bell (Mickey Rooney) to their destination. “Make us some drinks,” he says. “You just press the button back there marked ‘booze.’ It's the only way to fly!” The FAA may disagree, but Old Fashioneds are perfect if you’re sitting in first class.

One of the first drinks to be called a cocktail, it dates back to the turn of the 19th century.

Recipe
2 oz bourbon
2 dashes bitters
1 splash water
1 tsp sugar
1 cherry
1 orange wedge

Serve over ice in a short round tumbler glass, then garnish with the cherry and orange wedge.


No.5 - Bonfire Of The Vanities - Sidecar

When Bruce Willis’ character, Peter Fallow, meets with Arthur, the husband of gold-digging southern belle Maria Ruskin (Melanie Griffith), the old man orders a Sidecar with Courvoisier VSOP. Due to his health, he’s not supposed to drink, but since his wife is in Italy she won’t know. The drink is so delicious, Arthur is willing to tempt the fates of his health and have one anyway.

The exact origin of the Sidecar is unknown, but it appears to originate around World War I in either London or Paris. One story credits its invention to an American Army captain in Paris, who rode in a motorcycle sidecar to and from the bistro where he drank.

Recipe
1 ½ oz Courvoisier VSOP
1 oz Triple Sec
1 oz lemon juice
Lemon slice
Granulated sugar

You can use a cheaper cognac if you wish, but it won’t be a true Bonfire Sidecar. Wet the rim of a cocktail glass and dip it in the sugar. Combine the first three ingredients with ice in a shaker. Pour everything into a martini glass and garnish with lemon.


No.4 - Casablanca - French 75

Numerous cocktails fill the days and nights of Casablanca. Centered around a bar called Rick’s, the characters in this love story swill regularly. However, no drinks are as interesting as the French 75s ordered by Yvonne and her Nazi suitor.

A bulldog of a cocktail, it gets its name from the 75-millimeter M1897, a light but gnarly gun that became the mainstay of the French field artillery in World War I. Some sources say Franco-American World War I flying ace Raoul Lufbery created the drink after complaining his champagne needed more kick. More than two of these delights and you’ll be kicking down your ex-girlfriend’s door, calling her Ingrid Bergman.

Recipe
2 oz London dry gin or cognac
1.5 oz of fresh-squeezed lemon juice
5 oz of chilled champagne
1 tsp. superfine sugar
1/2 oz lemon juice

Shake with ice, except the champagne, in a chilled cocktail shaker. Pour into a Collins glass half full of ice and top off with champagne.


No.3 - Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas - Singapore Sling

This cloven-footed sweet taste of thunder launched Hunter S. Thompson on his journey in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. In a flashback to the beginning of the journey, Raoul Duke (Thompson’s alter ego) explains they were “sitting in the Pogo Lounge of the Beverly Hills Hotel... in the patio section, of course, drinking Singapore Slings with mescal on the side.”

Not just a clever name, the drink was invented in Singapore at the Raffles Hotel around 1910. This original recipe fell into disuse, but decades later the hotel did their best to recreate it from interviews and found notes.

Recipe
1 1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz Cherry Liqueur
1/4 oz Cointreau
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/3 oz grenadine
1/2 oz lime juice
4 oz pineapple juice
Dash of bitters

Serve over ice in a highball glass. Add a side of mescal, a long cigarette holder and a briefcase full of drugs for the true Fear & Loathing experience. Garnish with a maraschino cherry, pineapple chunk and orange slice.

No.2 - The Big Lebowski - White Russian

The New York Times ran an article last year attributing the resurgence of this drink almost exclusively to the cult hit Coen Brothers film. While it bombed in the box offices, the slacker staple is now in every male DVD collection. The Dude drinks White Russians (aka Caucasians) throughout the film and has inspired fans to do the same. It’s the best-known movie cocktail combo since the James Bond martini.

Named after an anti-Bolshevik group from the Russian Civil War, the Oxford English Dictionary cites a 1965 newspaper from Oakland, California as the drink’s first mention. Popular in the late ‘70s, it became uncommon until The Dude revived it.

Recipe
2 oz vodka
1 oz Kahlua or other coffee-flavored liqueur
1 oz light cream

Depending on personal taste, any milk or cream will do. The Dude, at one point, even uses powdered nondairy creamer. Serve in an old-fashioned glass over ice.


No.1 - Casino Royale - Vesper

This began the “shaken, not stirred” craze, but the Vesper is still relatively unknown. Bond author Ian Fleming invented this recipe, or at least named it. Daniel Craig orders one Casino Royale: “Three measures of Gordon’s; one of vodka; half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it over ice, and add a thin slice of lemon peel.” On the fly, he names it after double agent Vesper Lynd. “Because of the bitter aftertaste?” she asks. “No, because once you've tasted it, that's all you want to drink,” he answers.

In Fleming’s day Gordon’s gin was 94 proof. Now it’s 80 proof, so look for a 94 proof gin like Tanqueray to stay authentic. Likewise, buy 100 proof vodka, Bond approves of Stolichnaya, for the classic taste. Unfortunately, Kina Lillet, the French aperitif wine that gives this cocktail such a unique flavor, is no longer available in its original blend. Lillet Blanc is the closest thing.

Recipe
3 oz London dry gin
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc

Shake with ice until chilled, and serve with a thin slice of lemon peel “in a deep champagne goblet” because as Bond says in the novel: "I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made.”

Looking for more movie trivia? Check out our Top 10: Buddy Scenes and our Top 10: Movies Your Father Loved.

Beer Songs

Acdc Have a Drink on me...
Thin Lizzy whiskey in the Jar
KISS - "Cold Gin"
Sublime - "40 Oz. to Freedom"
Snoop Dogg - "Gin & Juice"
Semisonic - "Closing Time"
George Thorogood & the Destroyers - "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer"
The Beastie Boys - "Brass Monkey"
The Dubliners- "your Drunk"
Jimmy Buffet - "Margaritaville"

iDrink I-deas

One idea should be to hold the pub Olympics.. set a series of challenges for our teams to compete in.. Now as per usual they but there own drink as its the price to pay for being and Olympian.

Of course the top ten lists( why ten , after ten we stop listening).. Top Beer, Top Pub..

I do think a lot of pop culture should be thrown in to the mix as its important to be entertaining.