Picture this: It’s Sunday morning. You’ve slept in and have absolutely nothing to do all day. The scaries haven’t set in yet—but a hangover from last night has. What do you do?
Everyone and their mother has a hangover remedy they swear by. Some turn to carbs (hello, greasy bacon, egg, and cheese), while others rely on good old-fashioned ginger ale. But what about the hair of the dog method? The idea is that a lil’ drinking (after a lot of drinking) will help get rid of a hangover.
So will a Classic Bloody Mary get you into tip-top shape for the rest of your day?
We’ll dive into the ingredients and why some people tout Bloody Marys as a hangover cure, but remember: This blog isn’t medical advice. We’re cocktail-makers, not doctors.
First: How’d we get here?
A hangover—which often includes symptoms like nausea, headache, sweating, and general feelings of “What have I done?”—is caused by too much alcohol (duh) and other substances in alcohol, like the sulfites in wine. Alcohol can cause dehydration, bad sleep, and inflammation. A hangover isn’t fun, but the only way to prevent one is to… not drink, which may be even less fun.
What’s in a Bloody Mary?
The best Bloody Mary combines fresh tomato juice and an award-winning recipe of quality ingredients, like Demitri’s Bloody Mary Seasoning, and great vodka (that’s the hair part), and—if you want to go all in—finish with a tasty garnishing salt for the rim, like Demitri’s RimShot Rim Salt and garnishes like pickled veggies. Let’s break down the benefits:
- Tomato juice: Tomatoes, whether you slice ‘em, dice ‘em, or squeeze ‘em, are full of lots of good stuff, including vitamin A, vitamin C, and antioxidants like lycopene.
- Demitri’s Bloody Mary Seasoning: With Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce, freshly grated horseradish, lemon juice, celery salt, jalapeño peppers, and spices galore, Demitri’s Seasonings will have you feeling the heat. Some people do hot yoga after a night out; others drink spicy Bloody Marys. The choice is yours.
- RimShot Rim Salt: Craving some salt when you’re hungover? It’s not just you. Alcohol can dehydrate you—especially if you’re not drinking water as fast as those margs. (Pro tip: Drink water throughout the night and the next day.) As you rehydrate, you want to keep your electrolytes, including sodium, in check. This is extra important if you were sweating it out on the dance floor.
- Vodka: Do you want the good news or the bad news first? The good: Drinking more alcohol can maaaybe temporarily press pause on your hangover. The bad: It won’t stop a hangover entirely. You can play it safe and go for a virgin Bloody Mary to still enjoy the zesty deliciousness.
So, what now?
The best way to find out if a Bloody Mary can help a hangover is to try it out. The Demitri’s Bloody Mary Starter Bundle has everything you need to experiment on yourself—but in a way that’s much more interesting than any high school science lab. Here’s a tried-and-true recipe, but you can always mix it up with different varieties and rim salts. Enjoy… and good luck!
Recipe
Small lime wedge
Demitri’s Original RimShot Rim Salt
6-8 ounces tomato juice
1-2 teaspoons Demitri’s Classic Bloody Mary Seasoning (or “to taste”)
1-2 ounces vodka (or skip it and go for a virgin Bloody!)
Ice
Garnishes
Directions
- Gently moisten the outer rim of a 12- to 16-ounce glass with lime, then press into a saucer of Demitri’s RimShot Rim Salt. Don’t press the whole glass into the salt, if it sticks to the inside of the glass, all of that salt inside the glass is eventually going to end up going for a swim in your cocktail.
- Combine Demitri’s Bloody Mary Seasoning with tomato juice, vodka, and ice in a cocktail shaker and roll between another shaker or glass to gently blend all the ingredients.
- Pour the mixture into the glass and garnish.
- Squeeze the lime wedge onto the top of the drink, garnish as desired and let the healing begin! .
