What’s your poison? Barflies, listen up. There’s a formula to toasting the night away without ending up in the belly of the beast. Just like a John Hughes movie, there’s a happy ending to all of this. For sure.
What to do before a night out
Shield thy self! Pop a tab of milk thistle. This powerful herb has been shown to protect the liver against toxicity and reduce inflammation.
Pour les professionnels, drink Ukon Power. Originating from Japan, this handy little 100ml drink contains ingredients to protect the liver and combat hangovers. Available at clubs like Zouk, The Merry Men, Butter Factory, and Loof, you can also find it in bulk at 7-Eleven and Isetan Scotts.
Carbo-load. Eating a pre-binge meal helps stave off potential hangovers. Lining the stomach with starches like pasta and potatoes buffer alcohol acids in your stomach and will also give you extra energy to go the distance.
Prep like a Rooskiye. There is art and skill involved with drinking like it’s 1989. Before stepping out, eat a few boiled potatoes, drink a raw egg or two and wolf down two tablespoons of olive oil, helping you to coat your stomach and line your organs with stuff thicker than alcohol. Na Zdarove’ye!
Loof
What to do while you’re out
Snack attack. Keep nibbling on snacks to coat your stomach, preferably something salty (to keep you hydrated) or oily. Think pickles, creamy potato salads and crisps.
Water it down. Drink a glass of water for every glass of liquor to help dilute the alcohol, keep hydrated, and help flush the kidneys and bladder.
Don’t mix your drinks. Choose a high quality drink, and stick to it all night long. Drinking fine wine, high-end whisky, and good vodka can go a long way in terms of how your body metabolizes them into sugar.
Before bedtime, drink coconut water at least one hour before hitting the sack. This excellent elixir is known to contain the same five electrolytes found in human blood, and was in fact used as a substitute for transfusions in WWII.
Have a cup of coffee. Coffee helps to block the effects of acetate, which impairs motor coordination. Acetate levels tend to spike four hours after drinking. So, have a cup of Joe with the bros before heading home.
Wild Honey
What to do the morning after
Rise and shine? Drink a glass of warm water with lemon and honey. The warm water helps rehydrate you, the lemon helps to detox the liver and adds much needed vitamin C, and the honey contains fructose, which helps to metabolize alcohol in the liver easier.
Take more milk thistle.
Down a shot of wheatgrass. The chlorophyll in wheatgrass not only helps detoxify the liver but has 70% of the same molecular structure as hemoglobin, which helps to oxygenize our brain and rebuild red blood cells. You can find your shot at Boost Juice Bars and Pure Juice at Raffles Place.
Combat the shakes with a Coke or a Kopi Gah Dai. The caffeine and sugar content in both is enough to help jolt you into action!
Sweat it out. Give yourself a mini-detox with a round of hot yoga. Check out the 90 minute weekend sweat-sesh at Yoga Movement and Hom Yoga.
Boomarang
Where to eat
Didn’t make it as a clear-headed comrade this AM? Is it a brokedown drunk day? Then join your fellow sunglasses-clad legion of hangover sufferers. Now choosing where to do so shouldn’t be such a headache.
A good cup of coffee can make anyone weep with joy. Add to that, a good eggy brekkie. Eggs contain cysteine, the substance that breaks down the hangover-toxin acetaldehyde. We recommend Forty Hand’s Big Boy Breakfast to get your fill.
Everything’s better with bacon. Did you know that along with being the greasy, god-ly goodness that it is, bacon contains enough amino acids to help cure that fuzzy, alcohol depleted brain? Head to Tanjong Beach Club for their Weekender Fry Up. Or try Wild Honey’s The Canadian or English Breakfast. Both offer a side of bacon with their bacon.
Forty Hands
For the optimal morning-after meal, choose congee with century egg, ginger and salted pork. Brave the queues at Imperial Treasure Noodle & Congee House, known for their quality selection. Also noteworthy is the porridge a-la-carte buffet at Goodwood Park Hotel’s Coffee Lounge, for all you can eat servings to tame your troubled tum.
Make your way to the hearty all day-buffet at Hotpot Culture Marina Square. As the name suggests, you’ll be able to find a perfect panacea for last’s night’s poison, all good on your wallet.
Lift the guilt away with a morning after tipple at The Green Door, new to the Dempsey tribe. Using fresh-from-their-garden healthy ingredients in signature cocktails with names like Life’s a Peach and Starry Starry Night, it’s not your ordinary hair of the dog.
Tuck in to some turmeric. It’s just what the ayurvedic doctor ordered to help relieve nausea and mop up liver toxins. Take in brunch at The Curry Culture at Cuppage Terrage, or forget the walk of shame and go posh at Raffles Hotel’s Tiffin Room.
Veg out on some vegemite at Boomarang. Long known for it’s hangover curing qualities, vegemite is high is vitamin B6 and folic acid. At least you can regain some of what was lost during that night you can’t remember.
Top image: Zouk