Only six days to go, which means the festive party season is in full swing. With office parties, parties with friends, Christmas Day itself, and New Year’s eve all crammed in to the next couple of weeks, it’s no wonder that surveys report that people’s alcohol consumption rockets in December.
To safely see you through the Christmas party minefield, we recommend a copy of The Wrath of Grapes, or The Hangover Companion by Andy Toper.
If you’re the organised type, you’ll find plenty of useful wisdom in Chapter Three: The Complete Imbiber (How to Avoid a Hangover Without Becoming Teetotal), which will enable you to prepare your body the day before it encounters the free bar at the office Christmas party…
Or if you’re the less organised type, then Chapter Four: The Morning After will be better suited to you. With your hangover punishing you for the night before, Andy Toper gently leads you through the first steps of recovery, from rehydration to that much-needed fry-up.
And if you’re really suffering, there’s always Chapter Five: Hair of the Dog. With recipes to suit every stage and severity of hangover, from the mild to the skull-crushing, you’ll almost certainly find a cure within its pages. (Warning: may simply delay your hangover until tomorrow!)
Why not try the mild-sounding Hair of the Dog: single measure of whisky with 1tbsp double cream and 1 tbsp honey? Or if you’re in need of something stronger, how about The Evelyn Waugh: champagne, a sugar lump, Angostura Bitters and red pepper? Or, if your hangover is of the skull-crushing variety, you might need Hangman’s Blood: champagne, whisky, gin, rum, port, brandy and stout. Not for the faint-hearted, that one, and almost certain to do something with your hangover, though we’re not sure quite what…
Of course, we recommend that you drink responsibly, but we’re all grown-ups here, and if you do think you might over-indulge this Christmas, it’s best to be prepared. I mean, you’ve got a snow shovel in your car, just in case, some emergency cash in your purse for a cab home… why not an emergency hangover companion?
Merry Christmas!
Drink responsibly, and have fun.
Take Home a Souvenir! 