Taking Some of the Headaches Out of the Holidays

This is the ‘90s, right? No one drinks anymore, for goodness sake. I mean, who’s going to waste good calories on alcohol?

Well, maybe some people get a little retro this time of year, fancying themselves a member of the Rat Pack and ordering up one too many sloe gin fizzes. The National Headache Foundation has a few suggestions to ward off what will inevitably follow--that nasty 1950s hangover.

Try eating honey on toast before or after a night of drinking. The honey supplies fructose, which helps the body metabolize alcohol and reduces hangover symptoms.

The next morning, while dressed in your suavest Dean Martin jammies and bathrobe, drink plenty of fluids that have minerals and salt, such as bouillon, to help the dehydration caused by the alcohol.

And, yes, use your best Sinatra voice to order a hot cup of coffee, dammit, and fast. Caffeine acts as a vasoconstrictor that actually helps ease headaches.

For those of us who fancy ourselves hosts with the most, here is a recipe from the National Headache Foundation for nondrinking partyers:

Champagne Fooler

1 1/3 cups apple juice

1 teaspoon lemon juice

12 ounces club soda

Chill four glasses. Mix apple and lemon juices. Add club soda and gently stir to blend. Pour into glasses and serve immediately. Makes four servings.

Swing on, baby.