Drinks to help you recover from holiday hangovers

Hair of the dog is a funny concept.

If you're unfamiliar, it's a shortened version of the phrase "hair of the dog that bit you." The original meaning is ridiculous in that if a dog bit you, you were to take the hair of that dog and put it in your wound to prevent bad things from happening to you.

Nowadays, it insinuates that the best way to cure the after-effects of a long night of drinking alcohol is to indulge yourself with MORE alcohol. Yes, the very cause of your pain is what you should consume more of.

In what other situations would that ever be recommended? You hit your head on the door, and it hurts a lot? Come over here and let's give it a few more cracks; that should do the trick.

But, if you are trying to remedy a holiday hangover, maybe you'd be interested in these drinks. I cannot confidently say they'll help. In fact, they might make matters worse - but unless you have a better idea, I'd like to hear it.

You do?

Nevermind.

Bloody Mary

A Bloody Mary is easily the go-to drink when it comes to hair-of-the-dog beverages. Though its origins are disputed, the standard base consists of tomato juice and vodka with spices and other things thrown in: Tabasco sauce, salt, black pepper, celery, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, bouillon and other stuff.

If you feel the need for one, Q Billiards and Sports Bar in Darien ((630) 241-0970) has a Bloody Mary bar where you can create your very own personalized drink with more than 30 ingredients.

If 30 ingredients aren't enough for you, try a variation of a Bloody Mary the next time you're hungover: A Bloody Maria has tequila replacing the vodka, a Bloody Pirate uses dark rum instead of vodka and a Bloody Maureen has Guinness in place of vodka.

Black Velvet

There's a good possibility that you've seen Black Velvet on the drink menu at an Irish pub, though chances are the drink is made up of equal parts Guinness and cider. That might sound tasty, but in reality, that's the Poor Man's Black Velvet. The true recipe consists of equal parts Guinness and champagne, and was created by a bartender way back in 1861 to mourn the passing of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's Prince Consort. The half-and-half combination of Guinness on the bottom and champagne on the top symbolized the black or purple armbands worn by mourners. This is the same effect most are used to with a Black and Tan (Guinness and Bass or Harp).

And what better way to mourn than with a drink tailor-made for what pains you? Good luck finding a pub that'll pour you some champagne, but if you want a Poor Man's Black Velvet, look no further than Ballydoyle in Downers Grove ((630) 969-0600).

Irish coffee

Plenty of people enjoy starting their day off with a hot cup of Joe, so if you're hungover, why not throw some alcohol in your morning brew? Once again, we have the Irish to thank for another enjoyable hair-of-the-dog beverage with Irish coffee.

The ingredients are simple: coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar and thick cream on top. Cream that has not been whipped is supposed to be used, but as far as I see it, as long as you have coffee and Irish whiskey, then you have yourself an Irish coffee.

Most bars should be able to provide coffee and Irish whiskey, but if you want to be a little more authentic, try the Irish coffee (mixed with Jameson Irish whiskey) at Tommy Nevin's in Naperville ((630) 428-4242).

Sangria

I've never had a doctor tell me to eat less fruit. Drink less alcohol? That's another story. Thanks to the Spaniards, I am able to get my fair share of both fruit and booze with the delicious beverage known as sangria, an excellent hair-of-the-dog drink.

For those unfamiliar, sangria is made up of red wine, sliced fruit (apple, lemon, orange and sometimes banana, peach or kiwi), sweetener (sugar, orange juice or honey), small amounts of other booze (triple sec, brandy and others) and carbonated water. That's a lot of ingredients, to say the least, but something in there has to help cure a hangover. If you're hankering for a glass or a pint of this stuff, Meson Sabika in Naperville ((630) 983-3000) should do the trick.

Mimosas/screwdrivers

As well as fruit, I also encourage you to get your daily dose of vitamins. With mimosas and screwdrivers, you can get a healthy amount of vitamin C and alcohol. Aren't you being healthy?

A mimosa consists of champagne and orange juice, while a screwdriver is made up of orange juice and vodka. Mimosas were reportedly invented in Paris back in 1925, while screwdrivers date back to the late 1940s. Allegedly, screwdrivers got their name after (drunken) American engineers mixed the concoction with their screwdrivers. Go, America!

Not all bars are going to have champagne available (see: Black Velvet), but getting a screwdriver should not be a problem. Maybe you could enjoy one over breakfast at Blackthorn Grille in Lake Villa ((847) 356-4400).

Tasty brews

If your head's pounding, there's a good chance that an overabundance of beer is the reason for your pain. For all I know, it might be one of those mornings where the last thing you want is another beer, ever.

Well, if you're ready to toughen up and have a beer, might I suggest a good beer? The sort of brew that doesn't involve the word "Light" or "Lite," to be specifc. And might I also recommend the suburban beer lovers' ultimate destination, Bavarian Lodge in Lisle ((630) 241-4701)?

There are beers there that you've never heard of and are probably unlike anything you've ever tasted. If you're that disgusted with the taste of beer, go for a Lindeman Framboise, a beer that is one part raspberry and two parts deliciousness. Other beers, such as Samichlaus Classic, with its 14 percent alcohol content, will either wake you up or knock you back out, Founder's Breakfast Stout (double coffee chocolate stout) is literally made for this occasion and Franziskaner Weissbier is almost a meal in a glass.

Take it easy

OK, so maybe this whole hair-of-the-dog scenario is not your thing and you would much rather take it easy and relax away your hangover. That's fine, but if you have no choice and need to be heading to a bar, make sure it's one you can get comfortable at. The Foundry, in Aurora (630) 978-2088), has some extremely comfy couches upstairs in its cigar lounge. Likewise, Brick House Tavern, in Downers Grove (630) 963-1104), has some large, leather chairs in front of personal televisions that are just begging for you to zone out on. One could also easily get lost (or pass out) in the big booths at Jersey's in Hoffman Estates (847) 765-0085).

Wherever you end up, or whatever drink you choose, good luck. A hangover can spoil a morning/afternoon/whole day. How you combat it is your decision. And whether or not that involves more alcohol, I cannot guarantee it will actually help your condition. You might even go as far as to say you're never again touching another drink of alcohol, but I think we both know better than that.