Handle Your Hangover

    So those endless nights soaked in tequila have finally caught up to you. That fun-filled haze has been replaced by a splitting headache, and you don’t think you can get on the rickety bus to the next town. Fortunately, you are not alone. Long before giants like Souza and Jose Cuervo took root in the small town of Tequila and airlines began dropping college spring-breakers into Cancún by the thousands, mexicanos honed their approach to the dreaded resaca (hangover), developing a variety of spicy and pungent concoctions to help you out. Here are a few local remedies.

    The basic michelada (salciada) is made of lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, and light beer, all mixed in a glass with a salted rim. Hair-of-the-dog Mexicans swear that the delicious brew will eliminate hangovers immediately and painlessly.

    Menudo is a spicy stew of cow intestines served at cafés. Don’t forget the oregano, chile picín, and onions. The bigger the bite, the faster your head will clear. Perhaps it will clear enough that you’ll choose not to spring for that all-you-can-drink club pass the next time around. 

    Barbacoa, not to be confused with “barbecue,” is cow brains served with tortillas and loaded with coriander and onions. Birria is a popular barbacoa-based soup with similar healing properties. For the best effects, eat the stew with chile de árbol.

    Very popular in and around the Copper Canyon, arí is a robust drink made from ant excrement. The excretions are collected from a tree, boiled down with garlic, tomatoes, and chiles rojos, and finally served chilled to grumpy partiers the morning after.

    The traditional breakfast of chilaquiles comes in as many styles as there are towns in Mexico. Made from dried tortilla chips soaked in a sauce, often either salsa or mole, topped with cheese and chicken, and served with a fried egg on the side, chilaquiles have long been known to jump-start the body after a night out. Order the dish in Baja California and your chilaquiles will come with the fried egg mixed in. In Mexico City, expect a spicier red sauce and a garnish of epazote, a zesty Mexican herb.

    Finally, for every bed-ridden morning after a blacked-out night, the best way to start the day is with a simple glass of |water. Alcohol dehydrates the body, so for every frozen margarita you pound, you actually end up losing more water than you’re taking in. The most effective way to prevent a hangover (besides simply drinking less) is to sneak in a few cups of something non-alcoholic (try water or a sports drink) over the course of the night. For the rest of us–before heading out to the corner café to sink your spoon into a bowl of menudo–grab a glass of water, turn your shirt right-side-out, and remember not to stand up too fast.