Pick Your Poison

Hair of the Dog: Hangover antidotes from a field expert

Chuy with his off-the-menu creation: The polla
Photo by Marcy de Luna
Branch Water Tavern's superb bloody mary
Photo by Kimberly Park
The polla at La Griglia
Photo by Marcy de Luna
13 Celsius' Luchador, a condensed version of the prototypical Michelada
Photo by Marcy de Luna

I woke up this morning with a headache and an upset stomach. Overserved again!

Who hasn’t prayed to the porcelain god or suffered from throbbing headaches and the shakes as a result of having a few too many? There are times I would have given my left arm for some kind of relief.

So I polled a few people to ask for their input on the best remedy once you've crossed that line of no return. People suggested water, coffee, aspirin, greasy food, and vitamin E. I'm not sure there's a plausible solution other than abstaining altogether, but the most frequent answer I received to my inquiry was “hair of the dog.”

That English expression refers to lessening the effects of drinking by, well, drinking. It comes from the questionable practice of treating a dog bite by placing dog hair in the wound (something I definitely don't suggest).

I tried several cocktails in effort to find an adequate antidote and test the theory. And since, on the rare occasion I have too much to drink (err … when I am overserved) I sometimes eat late-night, I'm gaging hangover-acuteness on a fast-food binges scale.

Here are some hair-of-the-dog recovery drink ideas for varying levels of pain:

Level 1 Hangover: Late Night Binge — Whataburger, taquitos and onion rings

For the least painful of hangovers, my old stand-by, a Bloody Mary, seems apropos. The guys over at Branch Water Tavern have the classic Bloody Mary down to a savory science with the creation of a celery, cucumber, and black pepper infused vodka. The cocktail is served in a tall glass and is so full bodied that it could pass for a small meal.

Level 2 Hangover: Late Night Binge —Taco Bell, bean burrito and taco supreme

For a more serious hangover, hike it over to 13 Celsius for the Luchador. The Luchador is a condensed version of the prototypical Michelada. Both recipes were created by Mike Sammons, who was inspired while traveling through Mexico. Spicy, tomato-based, sweet and sour — this drink is one of my all-time favorites. Depending upon your level of queasiness, Mike can spice it up or down so you have no problem throwing it back on your road to recovery.

Level 3 Hangover: Late Night Binge — International House of Pies, cheeseburger and cottage fries

At this level, you have to pull out all the stops. Jesus “Chuy” Cruz over at La Griglia serves up an off-the-menu specialty called the “polla”. Any bartender in town who has worked with Chuy will swear by this drink as a surefire cure for the worst of the worst. Hold on to your hat while I mention the basic ingredients: A little orange juice, a little sherry, and a couple of raw eggs.

Rocky Balboa, anyone? I would suggest gulping it down as quickly as you can — no stopping for air. Take it for what it is worth, but I have to say I walked out feeling much better than when I walked in.

Now that you've got the antidote, feel free to pick your poison.

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on the road

Growing Houston coffee shop hits the road with battery-powered electric van

Courtesy of Coffee Fellows

Look for Coffee Fellows mobile café at festivals and farmers markets.

A growing chain of coffee shops is taking its service on the road. Coffee Fellows recently added a mobile café to its offerings.

Built from an all-electric GM BrightDrop van, the mobile café allows Coffee Fellows to brings its signature lattes, coffees, and snacks to festivals, farmers markets, and other happenings across the Houston area. After a couple of trial runs, the van will make its official debut this Saturday, April 11 at the Art Car Parade. The company claims the van is Houston's first all-electric mobile coffee shop.

Coffee Fellows North America CEO Daniel Ogbonna tells CultureMap that an elective vehicle was a natural choice for the company, which places a high enough value on sustainability that it serves all dine-in guests in reusable china mugs rather than add to landfills with disposal packaging.

“An electric van was a natural thing to do,” Ogbonna says. “It helps play a role in preserving the environment.”

As Ogbonna explains, the van has one battery that powers the vehicle and a second battery for its latte machines, coffee grinders, lights, menu board, and other equipment. A solar cell helps the battery recharge during service. All told, the van can operate for up to nine hours. Best of all, since it’s an EV, it doesn’t use a noisy generator or require propane the same way a conventional, gas-powered food truck does.

Of course, all-electric power comes with some trade-offs. The van serves almost everything a brick-and-mortar Coffee Fellows cafe does — including two exclusive lattes, Ube Coconut and Biscoff Caramel — but some compromises had to be made. Since the van doesn’t have an oven or a blender, both bagel sandwiches and frozen drinks aren’t available. Certain preparations have been tweaked to allow the baristas to serve them more quickly.

“One of the biggest things with the van is paying attention to speed,” Ogbonna says. “We have a shorter menu that allows us to deliver the beverages and food items to our customers in a short period of time. That requires a little bit of thinking to figure out — what is it that customers typically want and how can we deliver it to them in the mobile van with greater speed?”

Ultimately, Ogbonna would like Coffee Fellows to operate multiple vans that could introduce the brand to new customers before brick-and-mortar locations open in their neighborhood. Although it was founded in Germany in 1999 and has four Houston-area locations, the company is still building awareness, especially compared to its national competition.

“We think we have great drinks that can go toe-to-toe with the big name coffee companies,” he says.

news-you-can-eat coffee openings