31 December 2023 , 10:00
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As fun as New Year's Eve can be, it's all too easy to overdo it on the prosecco come midnight, resulting in a raging hangover the following morning, plus plenty of regrets.
Fortunately, you won't have to enter 2024 feeling as though you've already lived through the year ahead ten times over, with a bartender-approved tipple said to work like a charm. This science-backed concoction, which can easily be made in the comfort of your own kitchen, should have you feeling strong enough to have you tackling all your 2024 resolutions at once - or at least pull you away from the sofa for a bit.
The historic beverage is said to date back to the days of the Wild West (Getty Images/Foodcollection)
Many swear by the tipple, which has a bit of a spicy kick to it (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Security, tech, and public speaking professional James Bore told the Mirror that boozy afterparties at conferences are 'almost mandatory' in his line of work, meaning he has to get used to recovering quickly the following morning. Fortunately, James picked up a very handy recipe from a bartender at a conference in Slovenia some years back, which he now 'swears by' at times when he needs 'perking up'.
The beverage in question is a Prairie Oyster - a spicy drink that is said to date right back to the days of the Wild West. Indeed, Eater reports that the tonic was first whipped up by a plainsman to help a sick friend, who believed his fever could only be cured by eating an oyster. Now, despite the name, there isn't actually any oyster in this particular drink, which many online swear tastes quite delicious.
Recalling his own memorable first sip, James said: "It was the last day of the event and drinks had been flowing, so the next day I asked for one to be sent up to my room and it really helped clear my head and set me up for the day. Found out afterwards that it's a reasonably well-known recipe, and there's a version with brandy if someone wants to boost it with a bit of hair of the dog to take the edge off, but I tend to stick with the non-alcoholic version as a morning drink."
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Simple Prairie Oyster recipe
James has shared his go-to recipe with us, but there are plenty of variants online - including one with horseradish - if you want to explore a few different takes. You'll also most likely have the majority of ingredients knocking about in your cupboard, meaning you won't have to brave the corner shop in the cold light of day.
Ingredients
- One raw egg (James tends to just use the yolk, but you can add the whole egg if you wish)
- A 'generous dose' of Worcestershire sauce, Henderson's relish, or a similar condiment. James recommends going for 'one teaspoonful or two depending on taste'.
- A pinch of salt
- A pinch of pepper
- A dash of hot sauce to taste, such as Tabasco works, so do others
- An optional shot of vinegar
James advised: "Just pour everything into a glass, swirl, hold your nose, and knock it back in one. Healthy and nutritious breakfast that really gives you a kick awake and alert (note: in the US, do not use raw eggs, but in Europe it's fine)."
Eggs make for a far better hangover breakfast than your typical greasy fry-up (Getty Images)According to GP Dr Deborah Lee, who works for Dr Fox Online Pharmacy, the agony levels of your hangover will depend on three all-important factors: "how quickly alcohol is metabolised, the level of oxidative stress, and the severity of the inflammatory response induced by acetaldehyde." Thankfully, protein-packed eggs can help tackle all three of these factors, making a Prairie Oyster a much better shout than a greasy fry-up, which could cause your poor insides even greater irritation.
Dr Lee told the Mirror: "[Eggs] contain small amounts of virtually every vitamin and mineral needed by the human body including vitamins A, B2, B5, B9 (folate), B12, and vitamin D along with iron, calcium, zinc, manganese, iodine and selenium. Your body will thank you for topping it up with all these nutrients when is in metabolic overdrive, dealing with a hangover."
She continued: "Eggs contain choline. One egg contains 140 mg of choline. Men and women should be ingesting 500 mg and 425 mg of choline per day respectively in their diet. Most people do not consume adequate choline in their daily diet to meet the recommended amounts. Choline is needed to make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Choline deficiency results in the accumulation of fat and cholesterol in the liver and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Seeing as the liver has already suffered damage from a night of drinking, eating eggs and topping up your choline levels is a good way to support your liver function."