Hang your Hangover!!!

Hey guys welcome back after a week of festivities and I hope you guys thoroughly enjoyed your Diwali week. I am sure many of you were lucky with Cards and celebrated with your friends. I feel people find it very difficult during this period to control their drinks as there are so many parties to attend and this leads to one drink too many, leading to painful Hangovers. So this post is for all the people who have experienced the traumatic headaches and don’t want to revisit them in the future.

First let us start by demystifying the myths around the world of hangovers.

Myth 1: That Hangovers are kind to the fairer sex

Fact 1: Ladies please respect the booze on a Ladies' Night because if a man and woman drink the same amount of alcohol then it is more likely for the lady to feel the effects. This is because men have a higher percentage of water in their bodies, which dilutes the alcohol they drink and reduces the alcohol build up in their blood stream compared to women. 

Myth 2: Wine is the Gentlest Choice

Fact 2: People who feel wines don’t cause hangovers, they are wrong. The Tannins in wine can trigger headaches and other hangover symptoms. In fact Champagnes cause some of the worst hangovers. So be careful when you handle your bubbly.

Myth 3: Hair of the Dog

Fact 3: More alcohol in the morning does nothing but postpone a hangover. So even though Dogs are man’s best friend don’t let the dog bite you again in the morning which bit you in the night. So don’t fix a screwdriver the morning after rather follow the steps listed below.

So now let us see some possible preventions and cures for Hangovers!

• Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate – Drink a lot of water before you start drinking and also alternate it with your drinks when the buzz hits you. This would prevent dehydration and also dilute the alcohol level in your body and tone down the effects. This is also recommended the morning after to counter the dehydration caused by alcohol

• When Pig’s Don’t Fly – My suggestion is to have a rich meal before drinking sessions. I recommend a diet rich in Fat & Carbs like Pastas, Sausages, Steaks or Pizzas. These foods slow down the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream, thus making you sober longer and the life of the party due to your drinking prowess!

• Date with Carbon – This isn’t gourmet food but having burnt toast the morning after is known to be a miracle hangover cure. This because of its richness of Carbon which filters the impurities of the alcohol

• Meds are a No-No - The side effects of Aspirin and Ibuprofen can be magnified when alcohol is in your system, so it is best (even though it may be the first thing you reach for) to avoid them to kill the hangover pain otherwise they may adversely affect your liver.

• Sleep/Rest is your best friend at this point to give your body a recover. It is best to stay in bed so call in to work if you have to, tell them you have the stomach flu. You will sound so horrible on the phone they may believe you (unless they saw you at the bar, not a good idea then)!!!

So I hope all of you found this post helpful and enjoyable, so let us raise a toast to never having to go through the pains of Hangovers ever again. Cheers!

Lights Camera Action & Cheers!!!

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."

Rick Blaine, Casablanca (1942)

These legendary lines clearly exemplify the Hollywood’s romance with alcohol. So let us revisit my top #5 Hollywood alcohol moments.

5. Euro Trip (2004) – Absinthe

Who can forget this inane comedy about a guy who is dumped by his girlfriend, and decides to embark on an overseas adventure in Europe. Along the way they visit a club serving Absinthe or the Green Fairy, is an emerald green colored anise flavored liqueur. It is known to be a psychoactive hallucinogen and its effects are hilarious in the movie. Though it was banned in the US till 2007 it is now freely available around the world. So grab your shots and watch the movie if you are looking for some laughs.

4. Cocktail (1988) - Red Eye

Who hasn’t woken up after a party with a hangover? But don’t worry, the answer to your headache is a Red Eye, a heady combination of Vodka, Lager Beer, Tomato Juice and Egg. It is a sure shot cure of hangovers shown in the movie when Brian Flanagan (Tom Cruise) walks in to ask for a bar-tending job, Doug Coughlin is mixing up a Red-Eye. 

Recipe

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

Take a tall frosty mug, pour the vodka and tomato juice in it. Then pour in the beer, crack the egg into it. Do not stir and drink your hangovers away

3. Sex and the City (2008) – Cosmopolitan

 

This is for all the single ladies in the house, please put your hands up for Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) favorite tipple - The Cosmopolitan, a 1970’s creation made famous by the characters of Sex and the City, is a cocktail made with vodka, cranberry juice and triple sec with a dash of fresh sweetened lime juice. 

Recipe 

1 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Triple Sec
1/2 oz Lime Juice

1/2 oz Cranberry Juice

Shake vodka, triple sec, lime and cranberry juice vigorously in a shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass, garnish with a lime wedge on the rim, and serve. 

2. Casablanca (1942) - 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 75's are  ordered by the German officers before the establishment was shut down on the startling discovery of gambling on the premises. 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. More than two of these delights and you’ll be kicking down your ex-girlfriend’s door. So enjoy responsibly!!

Recipe
2 oz London dry gin/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.

1. Casino Royale (2006) - Vesper

 

So the other day I happen to catch the new Bond movie – Skyfall. Boy oh boy was it a treat to watch.  It takes us to dark origins of James Bond and shows us that the character is not all about suave and panache. The 23^rd Bond film in my view is one of the finest maybe challenged only by Casino Royale. The scene in Casino Royale where Bond orders his Martini with immaculate precision is a real treat to a bar enthusiast like me and therefore it is my #1 alcohol movie moment. The drink is named Vesper after Bond’s love interest – Vesper Lynd.

Recipe 

3 measures of Gordon's Gin

1 measure of Vodka

1/2 measure Kina Lillet

Lemon peel for garnish

Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, and then add a large thin slice of lemon peel.

So those were my favorite Hollywood alcohol moments, I hope you enjoyed them. Feel free to share some of your memorable celluloid moments involving booze. Cheers!!!

Next up: How to cure a Hangover?

The Bar is Open!

I am the last barman poet.
I see America drinking
the fabulous cocktails I make
Americans getting stinky
on something I stir or shake.

The Sex on the Beach,
the schnapps made from peach,
the Velvet Hammer,
the Alabama Slammer!

I make things with juice and froth,
the Pink Squirrel,
the three-toed sloth.

I make drinks so sweet and snazzy,
the Iced Tea, the Kamikaze,
the Orgasm, the Death Spasm,
the Singapore Sling,
the Ding-a-ling.

America, you’ve just been devoted
to every flavor I’ve got.
But if you want to get loaded,
why don’t you just order a shot?!

Bar is OPEN.
— Brian Flanagan

Cocktail -the movie (1988) was my first bar experience and at that time I was not aware of any of the cocktails mentioned above and more importantly I had missed the message in the poem, which struck me much later in life. The difference between Spirits and Cocktails is that they are not about “the kick” or “the buzz” they create; they are about the harmony of flavors and textures which aid in smooth conversations and times well spent in the company of friends.

Have you ever browsed the cocktail menu and tried to select the one for the occasion or felt disappointed by the choice you made. If yes then don't worry as you are not alone and all this is going to change very soon.  So join me in this journey of understanding the complex vibrant world of cocktails and becoming a MBA i.e. Master in Booze Appreciation!