Jacques Pépin's Hangover Remedy Is Peak French

A friend in need is a friend indeed — and, to that end, discerning sippers in varying degrees of early-morning desperation have been swapping hangover cures since time immemorial (prairie oyster, anyone?). Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jacques Pépin's go-to remedy is about as French as they come. According to the chef, the best way to fix a hangover is with another glass of wine. In an interview on the "Friends of Anthony Bourdain" podcast, when asked about his personal hangover "cure," Pépin recommends a reportedly "French" elixir of sparkling water with lemon juice and syrup of Cassis. "But," says the chef, "I usually have another glass of wine for a cure."

Beyond sounding elegant, Pépin's go-to French tonic offers some scientifically-rooted hangover-easing properties. In addition to hydration (a surefire way to reduce the notorious, nightmarish physiological side effects of a hangover, like fatigue, headache, nausea, and shaking), the sparkling water's light carbonation can help settle a queasy stomach. Meanwhile, the lemon juice's vitamin C helps the body flush out any remaining alcohol. Créme de cassis is an old-school French blackcurrant liqueur, which boasts a pleasant sweet-tart blackberry flavor and a pretty violet hue. Blackcurrants are also rich in polyphenols (antioxidant substances also found in red wine) and the flavonoid anthocyanin, which can reduce inflammation, further mitigating bloat and discomfort.

As for the late great Anthony Bourdain himself, he told TMZ that his tried-and-true hangover cure was a formulaic combination of Aspirin, cold Coca-Cola, spicy Szechuan food, and a joint.

Now, for Pépin's alternative recommendation: "Hair of the dog" is an age-old hangover cure. According to Harvard Health Publishing, the method's efficacy is debatable; grabbing another drink can temporarily ease the physical symptoms of a hangover ("a form of alcohol withdrawal"), but ultimately just prolongs the inevitable and any accompanying discomfort (i.e., you've gotta get the residual alcohol out eventually). Pépin's take on the old strategy lands somewhere between the potency of a Bloody Mary and an aptly-named Corpse Reviver cocktail. Why not wine?

Pro tip: As a general rule, sticking to clear-colored spirits (i.e., vodka, gin, white wine) is a proactive way to stave off a hangover, which is more likely to be caused by imbibing in dark-hued spirits (i.e., whiskey, bourbon, red wine). No headache-causing congeners here, officer. Although once the damage has already been done, a glass of red wine is probably just as suitable a candidate as white for hangover breakfast. To really knock that hangover out, pair a glass of low-tannin red wine such as Pinot Noir with a fried-egg-topped BLT, aka the World's Greatest Sandwich from "Spanglish" – which was incidentally created by Pépin's fellow esteemed France Légion d'honneur Chevalier Thomas Keller of The French Laundry. This elevated hangover-knockout duo is a shoo-in candidate for the professional seal of approval — it's good enough to rescue our Sunday afternoon, anyway.