Happy Birthday to Jack Daniel!

Happy birthday to Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel, born on this day in 1850. Or 1846. Or January of 1849. Daniel's exact birthdate is not known, and the date varies depending upon which records or what biographer you put stock in. 

Daniel, of course, is the founder of the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, TN, where Daniel learned the art of distilling from moonshiner Dan Call and his master distiller, Nathan "Nearest" Green.

I have not touched the stuff in ages, thanks to some wild nights fueled largely by the green label variety that purports to be smoother. — Dan Taylor

Costco's Kirkland House Brand Gets some Bon Appetit Love

One of my wife's co-workers was telling us that it was worth the 45-minute drive to one of the MD area Costco stores that sells alcohol because the Kirkland brand booze was as good and way cheaper than any big name brand. I've always been a fan of their house brand foods and I try to buy as much of my fresh meat there as possible because unlike a grocery store they turn it over so frequently.

Turns out we're not the only ones who love us some Kirkland brands... no less an authority on good grub that Bon Appetit recently heaped praise on, yes, Costco's house brand spirits, snacks, salmon and more.

Stick 13 Black Pins in the Cork and Other Hangover Cures for St. Patrick's Day

Oh no, it's the dread mid-week St. Patrick's Day! You know damn well you should practice moderation and common sense since work / school / responsibilities beckon early tomorrow morning. 

But, well, we all know that's never been your style. 

Since you know damn well you're going to drink too much tonight – and probably again this weekend at some combination St. Patrick's Day / Bracket Buster NCAA gathering – we have collected some of the best hangover cures from the weird to the classic for our faithful readers. 

Have a cure of your own that you'd like to submit? Feel free to submit it in the comments below.

My Own Cure

The Hungover Gourmet has, unfortunately, had plenty of experience with hangover cures through the years. I can attest to the fact that things like Alka-Seltzer make me throw up, so I steer clear of them. However, after much experimentation I've found this reliable regimen: before going to bed drink a large glass of water and take four extra strength ibuprofen. Don't take acetaminophen as this has been known to cause health problems over the long term. When you get up, repeat the process and then eat breakfast. I like eggs, sausage or pork roll, and an English muffin. Keep your caffeine consumption down as it will only rob your body of hydration. Have some juice. Relax. 

PS: I've also discovered something else that also works... don't drink so much!

This May Not Work with Beer Cans

If you're up for a funkier, flashier approach, Haitian voodoo practitioners recommend sticking 13 black pins into the cork of the bottle.

Hair of the Dog

We've all heard this one and sometimes it just seems like a desperate excuse to get the party revved up again. But there is some actual science at work here. The ethanol in the booze makes your head stop hurting, which is caused by the methanol in the booze. So, it's really just a vicious circle.

The Only Exercise You Ever Get is the Shakes

Know what causes Delirium Tremors? Insufficient Vitamin B1 or Thiamine. Beans, rice, grains, cereals, peas and other fiber-filled goodies are loaded with B1 and will help settle down the shakes. This might be the perfect time to try our Hangover Chili. You can also go out an pick up some B1 tablets and while you're there grab some B2 (for your bloodshot eyes) and B12 (which'll get the blood rushing through your veins again).

Get Juiced Up

"Getting juiced" the morning after takes on a whole new connotation. Juices contain water which helps rehydrate your body and citrus juices like orange, pineapple, grapefruit, etc. are loaded with natural sugars that help your body break down any alcohol that might be in there.

You Say Tomato...

Tomatoes are another great hangover helper, and it comes in many convenient forms. Have a Bloody Mary or a Bullshot (Campbell's Condensed Beef Consome Soup, tomato juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco, salt, pepper, lemon). Also, juices like V8 or plain ol' tomato juice are loaded with the vitamins and nutrients your body is sorely lacking after a night of well, you know.

A Ride in the Saddle

Sex, or any physical exertion, will get the blood pumping and help your body sweat out the alcohol, which is poisoning your system. Plus, it will help you rest afterwards until it's time to get up and do it all again!!

OTC Cures

We polled members of our crack staff and they suggested such readily available all-in-one over-the-counter cures as Dramamine, Pedialite popsicles (rehydrate without the ghastly taste of actual Pedialite), and Excedrin Migraine (complete with caffeine, a pain reliever and an anti-nausea med).

Listen to those Old Wives

I know we've all heard it a million times: "Before before liquore, never felt sicker." Well, this one happens to be true. The carbonation in beer – or champagne for that matter – speeds up the body's ability to absorb alcohol. This isn't exactly a cure, but more of a prevent defense to keep in mind. If you start with beer or champagne, stick with beer or champagne. You'll thank me later. But be mindful of that ABV, especially if (like me) you enjoy a craft beer or seven.

Stay Clear of the Brown Stuff

Want to know what drinks (in excess) will provide the easiest hangover? Think clear my friends. A cocktail with plenty of ice (think vodka and soda or gin and tonic) will give you a nice buzz without delivering a crippling hangover the next morning. Beer (especially lite beer) will hurt you in the long run, but won't be as bad as long as you remember to rehydrate before passing out. Once you get into brown liquors and red wines, you're on your own. Scotch, brandy, rum, bourbon, red wine and port (a fortified wine which is as scary as it sounds) will all deliver a nasty hangover that'll ruin your day... or days in some cases. But, as the great Ron Swanson once said, "clear alcohols are for rich women on diets" so just don't let Ron or Duke Snider see you sipping that vodka gimlet.

What's the Deal with Hangover Preventers?

We've all seen the ads and checked out the sites. Some work by absorbing the elements in alcohol that cause hangovers while others provide your body with vitamins and nutrients that will allegedly ward off the effects of a hangover. And there are plenty of other tablets, pills and powders that taken during your night of debauchery will supposedly help you wake up feeling refreshed and happy. The only drawback I see with these items is that many of them require you to take them while you drink. Right. While drinking I've forgotten: my name, who I was dating, that hard liquor makes me speak in tongues, that I don't smoke, where I left my keys, where I live, who my friends are and many, many more things. (Oddly enough, liquor has also made me remember old girlfriends' phone numbers at 4 AM, but that's another story, another part of the brain.) I don't know about you, but the odds of me remembering to take some stupid pill or tablet with every drink is, um, unlikely.

That said, there's still time to order a variety of pills and powders for delivery by tomorrow.

Disclaimer: The Hungover Gourmet is not a doctor and has only watched people play them on TV. Please drink responsibly and whatever you do, don't drink and drive, people!

Meet the Author of MINT JULEPS WITH TEDDY ROOSEVELT

A few weeks ago I mentioned the excellent book Mint Juleps with Teddy Roosevelt: The Complete History of Presidential Drinking by Mark Will-Weber. This Friday, March 6 @ 12 Noon in DC, the author will help the National Archives launch its new exhibit, “Spirited Republic: Alcohol in American History,” with an account of how alcohol figured in memorable moments of our country’s history. A book signing will follow the program.

And even if you can't make the event the Archives will be streaming the event live on their YouTube channel.

To technology, cheers!

Find more information on Friday's event here.

For more information on the upcoming Spirited Republic exhibit go here.

Happy Uncle Jumbo Day!

Happy Presidents Day!

If you're looking for a fun, historical read about drinking, check out MINT JULEPS WITH TEDDY ROOSEVELT: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF PRESIDENTIAL DRINKING by Mark Will-Weber.

It's the perfect reading recommendation for the day, a fun, easily digestible look at the drinking history of the men who have been Commander in Chief (as well as some of the First Ladies).

I'm about halfway through but I think I'd have liked to hang with Grover Cleveland aka "Uncle Jumbo". He was a fan of chops, sausage, cheese, beer and cigars and once had a secret operation on a boat for fear of news of his health having an adverse affect on an already creaky economy.

Of him, Twain once wrote, "Cleveland drunk is a more valuable asset to this country than the whole batch of the rest of our public men sober... I wish we had another of this sort."

MINT JULEPS WITH TEDDY ROOSEVELT: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF PRESIDENTIAL DRINKING is available from Amazon.

Survey Says! Americans Prefer Wine Over Beer

Though it doesn't give many specifics about the poll collection, an article at something called The Ardmoreite (based in Ardmore, OK) suggests that Americans prefer wine over beer... though just slightly.

Some of the poll highlights include:

• Americans prefer wine (40%) over beer and red wine (51%) over white wine
• Domestic beer (53%) barely gets the nod over imports 
• And, vodka is America's hard liquor of choice (24%), besting bourbon, rum and tequila

I'm definitely a domestic beer kinda guy and will typically take red wine over white. I've found over the years that I can drink the cheapest red wine on the planet without many adverse effects but I can't buy a bottle of the white stuff under $10 unless I'm in the market for a screaming headache the next day.

Hard liquor and I don't usually agree, so I tend to stay away from that option, but I'll go the whiskey/bourbon/scotch route if need be.

How do you compare with the "1000 American adults" surveyed? Answer in the comments section below or visit our Facebook page.

FOOD COURT: Good News, Bad News Edition

The good news is I got a designated driver.

The bad news is he's 12.

Bacon Bowl Drinking Game

Whatever you do, do not take a drink every time they say "bacon". Unless you have the Poison Control Center on speed dial.

No Foolies... Hungover Gourmet Returns to Print with Fall 2013 Issue!

I wanted to post this earlier this week but hesitated for fear that it would be laughed off as an April Fool's joke.

Despite what it said atop issue #11 – published back in 2009 – that will no longer be "The Final Issue" of The Hungover Gourmet: The Journal of Food, Drink, Travel and Fun!

We're currently accepting submissions for issue #12: The Return of The Hungover Gourmet and are looking for...

• capsule restaurant reviews for our 'For Those Who Are Fussy About Their Food' section (250-300 words max with 0-5 star rating);
• snack, beverage, fast food, frozen food reviews (250-300 words max);
• articles in the 1200-2500 word range (anything from cooking techniques and explorations of new gadgets to travel roundups, winery visits, food taste tests, etc.);
• recipes;
• photo essays;
• food/drink/travel-related zine, book, tv, movie reviews.

Deadline for submissions is September 1, 2013 with an anticipated street date of mid-November. That gives you the whole spring and summer to get your thinking caps on, get out and eat fun and interesting food, fire up the grills, grow veggies and share it all with the world. Or, at least, our small but enthusiastic readership.

All contributors receive a complimentary copy of the issue. In addition, we'll be holding a Hungover Gourmet Photo Contest with the winning photo gracing the cover! More details to come...

Have ideas? Want to contribute? Email me or touch base with me via our Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Wine Pairings for Halloween Treats

If there's one thing I've really enjoyed about recent food and wine writing on the web has been the de-snobbing of wine.

Oh sure, there are still plenty of wine snobs out there who wouldn't use the table plonk I quaff to rinse their glasses, but some wine sites have even shown a sense of humor (gasp!) by breaking down and pairing wines with, say, fast food.

So I had to smile when I was reading Bottlenotes and stumbled upon this article about the right wines to pair with your Halloween treats.

Double Shot of FOOD COURT: Drunk Passengers and Burger Suits

A businessman traveling from Phoenix, Arizona to the UK became enraged after flight attendants refused to serve him more alcohol. At one point, the US citizen allegedly sat in his seat with a broken bottle, claiming that he would "stab the pilots if they want".

Cult burger chain In-N-Out is suing an Aberdeen, MD burger joint, alleging that the logo and menu are too similar. The Associated Press reports that In-N-Out is suing Grab-N-Go Burger and "filed an infringement lawsuit this week in U.S. District Court in Baltimore... and is seeking a permanent injunction and unspecified damages." Guess I better get over there soon!

THG's Six Pack – Premiere Edition

Entertainment Weekly has their Must List. Golf Magazine wants to hip you to items on The Front 9. Even sister publication Exploitation Retrospect has their own junk culture and fringe media cheat sheet known as The Dirty Dozen.

So what's a poor food, drink, travel and fun blog/zine/website to do?

Why, start our own checklist of the things we love, of course!

Welcome to the first installment of THG's Six Pack, a weekly roundup of a half-dozen things we love from the worlds of food, drink, travel and fun. Reality cooking shows, snacks, recipes, new items, restaurants and more are all fair game. Who knows? We might even throw in – as we did below – a Dishonorable Mention or two. Got something you want us to check out? E-mail me or see the sidebar for our PO Box address.

Let's get started...

1. The Dapper Don of Reality Cooking Shows – I may have started watching FOX's Master Chef (a home cook version of Top Chef) because of Gordon Ramsey... but after a season and a half I'll gladly admit that it's restaurateur/judge Joe Bastianich (aka Joey Polka Dots) who brings me back week after week. Whether he's arriving at a challenge on a European scooter, questioning a contestant's ingredient choices or fixing a cook with his steely, withering glare, Bastianich has emerged as a household fave who – like Ramsey – should have three or four shows on the network. All Joe! All the time!
2. Boxed Wine is OK! – I was drinking boxed wine back in the 80s, though more out of convenience than any desire to blaze trails. Frankly, it cut down on trips to the liquor store and meant that a White Trash Cooler (half Mountain Dew, half boxed white wine) was just a refrigerator away. But now it appears that oenophiles are learning what I already knew – it's okay to drink boxed wine! Sure, you might have to put a paper bag over your head or pay some college kid to grab a box of some table plonk you don't want your wine snob friends seeing you hoist into the car, but isn't fresh wine without the hassle of a corkscrew totally worth it? And if you don't have a corkscrew you don't have to worry about this happening.
   
3. Halloween Candy Makes an Early Appearance – It won't be long before Facebook and Twitter will be filled with people complaining about cold weather and the fact that Christmas decorations are in stores. Sensing this ever-shorter window of opportunity, Halloween candy makers have already started stocking convenience stores and supermarkets I frequent. Though I doubt anything will beat last year's "Candy Blood Bag" I did get a kick out of the Gummy Werewolves being sold at Wawa. As old pal and fellow Joey Polka Dots fan Joe McNulty quipped, "Full supply of daily vitamins and gypsy curse".
4. Fast Food Wine Pairings – I'm not sure what I enjoy most about Snooth's series of articles in which they pair wine with takeout from the likes of McDonald's and Burger King. Maybe it's the tongue-in-cheek, yet serious, approach they take to the subject. Maybe it's the useful information I can use during my next Filet-O-Fish craving. Or maybe I just like the horrified comments from humorless wine snobs. Eh, it's probably a little bit of each. Keep it up Snooth, but please tell me what I should serve with the hammy, cheesy, burger-tastic Double R Bar Burger!
5. Tostitos Hint of Pepper Jack Tortilla Chips – I'm usually pretty change averse, so when I find something I like I tend to beat it into the ground. Like tortilla chips. Lately (and when I say "lately" I mean since they were introduced) I've been buying the Tostitos Hint of Lime Tortilla Chips, which have a slightly over-the-top blend of lime and salt that goes great with sitting on the patio drinking beer and shooting the breeze with friends. But when I discovered that our latest bag had gone stale I found myself digging in to a bag of Hint of Pepper Jack flavored chips that my wife bought while I was out of town. Oh, Pepper Jack Tortilla Chips... where have you been all my life?! These are a crunchy, creamy, cheesy, spicy taste sensation.
6. Five Ingredient Fish Tacos – Fish tacos have been a somewhat recent addition to my culinary maturation. I was introduced to them when my wife and I were first dating and I accompanied her on a trip to Cabo for a friend's wedding. That trip was one great food find after another, but I really fell in love with fish tacos. And why not? I love fish, I love tacos. Marrying the two – whether the fish is grilled, seared or battered, the toppings spicy or cool and creamy – has been an ongoing adventure. Our newest fave is – like many of our go-to recipes – torn screaming from the pages of Cooking Light. Though I felt they could have used something cool and creamy like a little sour cream or guacamole on top, this was an easy weeknight dinner that gave us a chance to use some fresh jalapenos from our summer garden.

Dishonorable Mentions: I love the bright, cheery and tasty (usually) sodas from Jarritos, but their "Jamaica" variety was a complete bust. The hibiscus flavoring made it taste like red prune juice and gave the drink an aroma that can only be described as "musty" or maybe "old person's garage" ... Our local SuperFresh recently closed its doors and re-opened as a ShopRite. Let's just say that my first trip was not overly positive. The layout is familiar but the store seems claustrophobic and exceedingly bright, checkout clerks were overly aggressive in trying to rush me out the door, and the produce section was both poorly stocked (no strawberries on a Friday afternoon in August?!) and off-putting (I picked up at least three containers of "fresh" fruit that were significantly moldy). I'll have more about the area Supermarket Wars in the weeks to come.

Whiskey. In. A. Can.

Yep, you read that right. Panama-based Scottish Spirits is marketing a 12-oz can of Scotch containing eight shots. 44-year-old me is very glad this didn't exist 20 years ago. If it did 44-year-old me might not exist.

She Gets My Vote!

And you thought there wasn't a highlight! Great moment during the recent RNC Chairman Debate when Ann Wagner was asked what her favorite book was and well... just watch and see...



She definitely gets my vote. My Kitchen Table is my favorite bar, too.

Thanksgiving Drinks

The Thanksgiving holiday is a little more than a week away. Have you started planning your menu yet? If not, perhaps some high-powered Thanksgiving thinking liquor is in order...

Starbucks Courts Evening Biz with Booze, Local Food

Starbucks wants to sell you coffee to wake you up and booze to settle you down. Will the new neighborhood store concept work?

Farewell Khyber

I was bummed to hear that tonight will mark the last night of live music at Philly's storied Khyber Pass Pub. As I wrote on The Hungover Gourmet website many years ago...

For all intents and purposes the Khyber was my home away from home from the late 1980s until I moved to Pittsburgh in the fall of 1995. A dingy, dark hole of a bar, it was also home to some of the greatest punk and rock shows in Philly's checkered musical history. (Especially the night the Dwarves played a spectacular 10-minute set that ended with Blag Dahlia triple-lindeying into the drum kit, only to be dragged off to the bathroom by his bandmates.) While it would be impossible to rattle off the names of every great band that I watched -- or simply heard on really busy nights -- grace its tiny stage, here's an all-star ballot of pre-Green Day "alternative" if ever there was one: Didjits, Pegboy, Fleshtones, Junk Monkeys, Figgs (shown playing at the Khyber in the photo above), aforementioned Dwarves, Urge Overkill, The Fluid, Bash & Pop, Lunachicks, Original Sins, Boredoms, Neighborhoods, Elastica, Bullet La Volta, New Bomb Turks, Devil Dogs, Soul Asylum... and the list goes on.

Not just a great band bar, the Khyber was also one of the oldest bars in the city and sported a mind-boggling, world-class selection of draft and bottled beers due to its proximity to Penn's Landing and the city's tourist/naval traffic. Me, I just plunked down my $2.50 and had me another Yuengling Porter. Oh yeah, it was also purported to be haunted! How could you possibly go wrong?

I can't remember what the last show I saw at The Khyber was but I have so many strange and good memories... interviewing Tommy Stinson for the pages of Exploitation Retrospect and chuckling as he bad-mouthed the Goo Goo Dolls for sounding like The Replacements and not having a hit, chatting with the guys from The Neighborhoods, Peter Zaremba of The Fleshtones jumping into the crowd and pulling me into a headlock as we belted out one of their garage rock classics, nearly getting killed during the choas of a Lunachicks show, having a good-natured argument with my pal Lou about which of us the lead singer of Elastica was making goo-goo eyes at, getting what amounted to a private show by the fellows in The Junk Monkeys, running into old friends and old flames, dashing across the street between sets because I'd already blown all the money I'd gotten out of the bank, and so on and so on.

For more on this once-great venue check out this oral history from The Philadelphia City Paper. Me? I gotta go get a six-pack of Yuengling Porter... for old times sake.

Boxed Wine Inventor Dies, THG Emerges from Seclusion

Late last night, as I was watching Duke narrowly escape with an NCAA title, I realized that it had been almost two months since I posted anything to the blog. It's certainly not due to indifference or a lack of things to say. I've just been in my annual work pressure-cooker brought on by client catalogs and various other first-quarter projects.

As I watched the seconds tick off the clock, a last minute half-court heave by Butler clang off the rim (doh!), and Duke players don the ugliest championship t-shirts in NCAA history I vowed that I would rectify the situation with this here blog.

Who knew a handmade topic would arrive via a Facebook post from a friend?

Alas, it's with a heavy heart and pounding head that I report the death of Thomas Angove at the age of 92. For me, Angove ranks up there with the guy who invented the Filet-O-Fish – he took a great product (in his case, wine) and improved the delivery system (he put it in a box, or more accurately, a cask inside a box).

For years "boxed wine" or "wine in a box" was scoffed at by the press and purists. It probably wasn't helped by the cheap price and cheap product it was usually associated with, but our shore house wasn't complete without a big ass box of cheap white wine crammed in the fridge. From its magical spout I would dispense just the right amount to combine with a beer mug of Mountain Dew to create the delightful White Trash Spritzer, a refreshing (and sticky) summertime concoction that usually led to a jackhammer pulse rate, a warm, happy buzz... and a pounding headache the next day.

These days the wine box has – like screw caps on wine bottles – achieved a certain level of respectability. I'm glad Angove lived to see his invention achieve greatness and that he didn't listen to his teenage son who scoffed at the idea of cask wine back in the 1960s.

Cheers, Mr. Wine in a Box.

Tip courtesy of The Consumerist and Delaine Derry Green of Not My Small Diary.

Friday is National Hangover Day, But THG and White Castle Have Got Ya Covered

Think you'll overdo it on New Year's Eve?

Think you won't overdo it on New Year's Eve... but know you will anyway?

I've been there. You don't get the nickname "The Hungover Gourmet" without napping in a few snowy gutters on New Year's morning. (By the way, thanks again to The Gonster for convincing me that running me over on their way to mass would be a bad way to start the year for that nice family.)

These days I take an entirely different approach to New Year's Eve. A little sushi dinner with my wife and daughter. Prep the turkey for the next day. Ring out 2009 with some trashy movies (probably the awesome-looking WINTERBEAST). Ring in 2010 with a Klaus Kinski flick (selection to be determined). Get up with a clear head and ready myself for The Winter Classic.

But if you do end up howling at the moon a bit too long on New Year's Eve, there's no reason you have to spend the first day of the new year cursing yourself, vowing not to drink again, and/or throwing up in the shower.

Or, um, so I've heard.

Check out our lineup of hangover cures and preventative measures, some tested, some (probably) bullshit. And if you happen to live near a White Castle restaurant, a) I envy you; and, b) take advantage of the access to a sack of slyders (still an all-time fave hangover meal of mine) and download your coupon for a free cup of White Castle coffee.

Get Decadent Baltimore

Do you feel left out while the kids are devising their trick or treat strategy in order to maximize their candy haul? Do you find yourself secretly hoping they leave their Halloween goodies unguarded so you can grab a Snickers bar to go along with a cold Natty Boh?

Don't sell yourself short Baltimore! Treat yourself to an Evening of Decadence at Morton's Steakhouse on October 28th and sample hors d'oeuvres from Morton's, premier Vosges chocolate and a selection of Piper champagnes.

Guests will arrive to a reception featuring Morton's signature hors d'oeuvres and Piper Sonoma Brut. After the reception, guests will begin taking part in the exceptional pairing of Champagne and chocolate using sensory vials which contain an essence (lilac, etc) that will pull that flavor out of the chocolate and champagne.

For more information, please visit www.mortons.com or call Judi DiGioia at 410-547-8255.