Why Did You Eat That: Hair of the Dog

I basically think brunch was invented to mask the plague of the hangover though Anthony Bourdain would argue that it was invented for restaurants to rid themselves of about to go bad ingredients. Whatever the case may be, most brunches consist of some type of libation often referred to as “the hair of the dog.” Like many phrases in modern language, I don’t think half the people tossing them out have any idea what they even mean. So, I’m here to drop some knowledge on your weekend.

The hair of the dog isn’t nearly as sexy as you might hope. What it stems from is the treatment of a rabid dog bite. They placed hair from the rabid dog into the wound to prevent evil consequences. I bet that worked like a dream. Now it has come to mean treating a hangover with more of the liquid devil responsible for your throbbing frontal lobe and Saturday shakes.

In honor of the fact that my dog has a better life than most humans (have you seen his Instagram?) and the fact that I may or may not have passed out last night with a Dove bar hanging halfway out of my mouth on the couch in Amagansett, here are some favorite hairs of dogs drink recipes.

Red Little Havana

Ingredients:

1-1/2 ounces Effen Cucumber Vodka
5 ounces Green Bloody Mary Mix

Green Bloody Mary Mix

1 gallon green vegetable juice (Garces used cucumbers, tomatillos, kale, and spinach)
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup hot sauce
1 cup horseradish
1/2 cup celery salt
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Natural green food coloring as needed (to make it super green)

Preparation:

First, mix up a big batch of the Green Bloody Mary MIx.

Next, combine the ingredients for the Red Little Havana in a mixing glass. Add ice and shake lightly. Transfer to a highball glass and garnish with a medley of colorful vegetable sticks, i.e. celery, carrots, bell peppers, etc.