Hang in 'til it's over

BY SHARON DEMARKO-GORDON

North Tonawanda, NY — You bellied up to the bar last night.

It bit you back.

This morning, your body feels as if Eli Manning used it in a New York Giants skirmish.

A bartending team has been called in for you.

Night & Day surveyed local libationists to find the ultimate hangover cure, should there be such a remedy, and uncovered the top 10 recommendations.

The best advice, although it falls into the Monday-morning quarterback category, comes from Mike Golba, owner of Youngstown’s Olde Fort Inn.

“Don’t drink.”

This is perhaps not practical for everyone, though.

“Plop a raw egg in a 10- to 12-ounce beer glass and fill it up with beer with a little cayenne pepper on the top,” advises Sly Flynn, a New Orleans bartender visiting her Niagara Falls family. “Tip your head way back and let the whole drink slide down at once. You need the protein, and the pepper helps you forget you’re swallowing a raw egg.”

Sipping a light beer at the Third Street Holiday Inn, Flynn adds that another “cure” at her Bourbon Street bar is the “Sazerac Cocktail,” made by swizzling bitters with cognac, pernod and sugar and serving it “neat,” or no ice.

Bitters with ginger ale is the recommended “morning after” from Josh Bancroft at Lewiston’s Schimschack.

“We also recommend lots of water when customers ask for relief,” he said. “Take Vitamin B and avoid aspirin, because your liver and kidneys already are under stress.”

Others say to get right back to what you were doing the night before.

“Hair of the dog that bit you is still the best ‘morning after,’ ” said Tina Barnes at the Red Coach Inn, Niagara Falls. She’s also partial to Alka Seltzer for its energy-restoring caffeine and relieving qualities, and vitamin B-complex taken before, as well as after, drinking alcohol, in order to replenish some energy.

Patrons of Pete’s Market House in Niagara Falls toast the perennial favorite bloody Mary, made by Jeanette Martinez with tomato juice, vodka, worcestershire sauce, Tobasco, lemon pepper and a slice of lemon.

In Canada, the equivalent in popularity is the bloody Caesar. Substitute Clamato juice for the tomato and lime for the lemon, rim the glass with celery salt and add a celery stick.

Stick with plain tomato juice, prescribes chef Chris Chiappone at Carmelo’s Coat of Arms in Lewiston, maybe with celery or citrus.

If you need food more substantial than garnish, Tuesday Poole at Lockport’s Shamus Restaurant would forward you to a greasy food place. If you’re up for breakfast, eggs fried in bacon grease with home fries could work.

Frank Ryan’s “cure” isn’t a drink, although he concocts them as a consulting mixologist. Such companies as Bacardi send him developing products for which he writes recipes.

Ryan, bartender at the Western Door: A Seneca Steakhouse at Seneca Niagara Casino as well as Night & Day’s bartending columnist, offers these tips for a having a good time Saturday night and still wanting to live when you wake up Sunday.

Always drink responsibly.

Drink premium liquor. It’s more expensive because it’s more thoroughly distilled.

Don’t drink on an empty stomach.

Never drink when you’re taking prescription drugs (It’s a good idea to ask your pharmacist if alcohol is a bad mix with over-the-counter medications as well).

Take liquor mixed with water or neat with water on the side. Avoid soda and other bubbly drinks like champagne, as the carbonation rushes the liquor through your bloodstream, which can make you nauseous and increase the alcohol’s impact. Avoid sugar for the same reason.

Don’t mix alcohols. Drink the same liquor all night. If you start with vodka, finish with it: Don’t go to wine, thinking you’re slowing down.

Lastly, advises Ryan: “Know your limit. I can’t stress too strongly the importance of drinking responsibly.”

Contact Sharon Demarko-Gordon at (716) 693-1000, Ext. 107.