Hang Up on the Hangover: Beijing's Bartenders Spill on Their Remedies

Jessica Rapp | Sep 13, 2014 5:00 pm | Add a comment | 1555 reads

We’ve all been there. A late night binge that seemed like a great idea at the time ends up sludged across your bathroom floor. All those cheap Tsingtaos translate to spending the daylight hours married to your mattress. If you’re to survive the Beijing nightlife scene, you’ll need a trusted method for preventing those raging headaches the morning after.

Scientists (who, no doubt, have had to cure a hangover or two themselves) have been hard at work getting to the bottom of what causes those nasty after-effects of alcohol. And while there is a lot of advice out there, even some of the most recent research suggests experts can’t come to a consensus on the exact culprit of the pain. Dehydration and acetaldehyde (that toxin that’s produced when ethanol dissolves in your blood stream) seem to be factors, but it’s still uncertain as to which one is the most important or if there’s any evidence at all that they cause significant imbalances in your body. That can mean a dark and uncertain world for the party hounds.

So, when determining that ultimate hangover cure, we decided to start from scratch. We went straight to the local drinking experts: Beijing’s bartenders. They told us their hangover cure secrets so that if you choose to trust them, you may be all the wiser next time those cocktails call.