The morning after

You know you have a hangover when you roll over, turn off the alarm clock and the ringing in your head continues. You are then faced with a dilemma — should you navigate your way to the medicine cabinet and down several aspirin, or should you stumble into the kitchen first and make a pot of coffee? Or should you bury your head under the pillow and try to forget about the amount of alcohol you consumed and the number of bad karaoke songs you sang last night?

In college, I lived in a sorority for two years, so the morning after feeling isn’t new to me. The sad thing is, because I’m a fairly small person, it doesn’t take much to push me over the edge. I get teased about it all the time — I’m from hearty Irish stock, so I should be able to hold my liquor. But I’m not alone; I recently read a survey done for the Bayer Co. that found that young people can be hung over after just three drinks, and for one in 10 people, it can take just one or two libations. I’m that one in ten.

So I’ve learned a few strategies to deal with morning-after syndrome. Everyone has their own magic hangover cure; one of my friends swears by Egg McMuffins, another recommends Breakfast in a Glass (instant coffee, 2 raw eggs, milk, orange juice, gin and Guinness). To me, these remedies are about as appealing as that frat boy you were hitting on the night before when you see him in the garish light of day. (What was I thinking?)

Researchers (and there has been extensive research on the elusive hangover cure-all) say that while it’s not the best dieting strategy, consuming foods that are high in fat and carbohydrates helps absorb excess alcohol. There’s also evidence that eating foods with fructose, such as fruit, juice or honey, helps the body burn away alcohol faster. Drinking fluids with minerals and electrolytes, like Gatorade, replaces the salt and potassium lost to alcohol.

And of course, there’s coffee. While too much can dehydrate you and make that pounding headache worse, the caffeine in a cup of joe constricts the blood vessels that are dilated by alcohol, causing that infernal pounding headache.

So my tried-and-true hangover cure is simple: Eat a big breakfast, one that contains fat, carbs and fructose. (You can get back on your diet tomorrow). This translates into either pancakes, waffles or French toast, complete with syrup, jam or berries. Sip a sports drink in place of, or in addition to, your usual OJ, and pop a few pain relievers (ibuprofen is easiest on the stomach). However, if you’re really queasy, you should probably hold off on breakfast for a while and just go with the sports drink and the ibuprofen. There’s also a really cool product called Cheerz that helps take the sting of a hangover away.

And don’t forget that venti-sized latté.

Gabrielle Devenish is the food editor at the Post Independent. She’s partial to chocolate martinis and champagne, but she always imbibes responsibly and never drinks and drives. She probably shouldn’t drink and sing, either.

Recipes

Cinnamon bun French toast
6 large cinnamon buns, cut in half, without icing (pre-made is fine)
3 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon amaretto liqueur (optional)
6 tablespoons butter, divided
1⁄2 cup toasted pecans, halves
1⁄2 cup fresh blueberries
1⁄2 cup Vermont Maple Syrup

Preheat nonstick skillet to medium heat.
Beat eggs slightly and add cream, cinnamon and amaretto. Whisk to blend well.
Add two tablespoons of butter to hot skillet. Dip cinnamon buns in batter and place in skillet, cut sides down. Cook three to four minutes or until golden brown and flip over.
Cook an additional three minutes or until golden brown on both sides. Stack cinnamon buns together on plates, garnish with pecans, blueberries and remaining butter. Drizzle with syrup. Makes 6 servings.
— John Treusin, executive chef, Grand Hyatt Denver Downtown

Blueberry Pancakes
31⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 stick butter or margarine, melted and cooled
Approximately 1 cup milk
1 cup fresh or thawed and drained frozen blueberries
Vegetable oil or butter, for cooking
Maple or blueberry syrup

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs then whisk them into the flour mixture. Combine the butter and 1 cup of milk in the medium bowl, then gradually whisk this mixture into the batter. The batter should be slightly thicker than heavy cream. It the batter is too thick, add a little more milk.
Heat a seasoned griddle or a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add a little oil to prevent the pancakes from sticking. Spoon or pour about 3 tablespoons of batter onto the griddle to form a pancake. Repeat forming only as many pancakes as can fit on the griddle with 1-inch or so of space around each. Drop 7 or 8 blueberries on each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on the pancake surfaces then flip and continue cooking until the second sides are golden, about 3 minutes longer. Makes 4 servings.
— www.foodnetwork.com

PBJ waffles
6 Rhodes Texas or Dinner Rolls, thawed to room temperature
peanut butter
jelly or jam

Preheat waffle iron to medium high. Flatten each roll into a 4- to5-inch circle. Spray the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Place a flattened roll in the middle of the waffle iron and close the lid. Cook each roll for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and spread with peanut butter and jelly. Makes 6 waffles.
— Rhodes Bake-N-Serv