Bartender-Approved Hangover Cures For New Year’s Day

Don’t let bubbly ruin your New Year’s Day. Photo by Jamie Ducharme

If your New Year’s Eve involves a party—and not yoga—then ringing in the New Year with a splitting headache may be on the morning agenda. Dr. Josna Adusumilli, a neurologist at Mass General, says there really aren’t many medically-proven ways to cure a hangover besides, of course, imbibing responsibly the night before. “My main tip would be to rehydrate as much as possible. The headaches usually stem from dehydration,” she says. “I know it sounds boring, but that’s pretty much it.”

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But, we figure there has to be more to it than just chugging water, so we consulted with Boston’s biggest hangover experts: bartenders. Below, the cures the experts swear by:

Max Toste, beverage director at Deep Ellum: Toste is a hair-of-the-dog fan. He recommends further imbibing with a gin Bloody Mary, called the Red Snapper; a beer; or a concoction called the Ramos Gin Fizz, consisting of gin, a raw egg, heavy cream, sugar, club soda, and citrus. “It’s like drinking a cloud,” he says.

If day-after alcohol isn’t your style, Toste swears by Alka Seltzer mixed with Orangina.

Deep Ellum, 477 Cambridge St., Allston; deepellum-boston.com.

Matt Pian, general manager at Conor Larkin’s: “Working in a bar dominated by the college crowd, I’ve seen, heard, and even tried a ton of different hangover cures,” Pian says. Like Toste, he notes that continuing to drink into the morning is a popular method, but says that his personal favorite is a little less boozy: Excedrin and a sports drink before bed. “When you get home, take the Excedrin and finish the sports drink you so smartly laid out before you left and get a full night’s sleep,” he says. “The caffeine in the Excedrin and the electrolytes in the sports drink will have you feeling better in no time.”

Conor Larkin’s Grill & Tap, 329 Huntington Ave., Boston; conorlarkinsboston.com.

Bertil Jean-Chronberg, beverage director at the Beehive and Beat Brasserie: Chronberg points out that hangovers mainly stem from dehydration and vitamin deficiency, so he suggests morning-after cocktails or smoothies with plenty of fruits and veggies, like the classic Bloody Mary, to offset the problem. If you want to try something a little more unique than a Bloody, Jean-Chronberg recommends a drink made of tequila, carrot juice, orange juice, agave nectar, and a cilantro leaf. “The real piece of the hangover [cure] is orange juice, but to add carrot to it is pure vitamins,” he says, adding that cilantro neutralizes toxins. “You just do a fabulous cocktail, and at the same time it will cure your hangover.”

The Beehive, 541 Tremont St., Boston; beehiveboston.com and Beat Hotel, 13 Brattle St., Cambridge; beathotel.com.