Dog Story

The season of over-indulgence is upon us. Imbibing more than is perhaps wise happens all too often and the price as most of us know is a fuzzy-mouthed, head-hurting, slow-starting morning after. There are various traditional, somebody-swears-by-them cures. The Mexican approach is a bowl of menudo (tripe soup, find it Saturdays and Sundays at Mi Pueblo 12207 Lorain Avenue). Other favored ways to ease your suffering include quaffing pickle juice, a hearty helping of prairie oysters, or a plate of extra greasy eggs, bacon, and buttered toast. But a couple of local guys have another solution. Chris Pinta and his brother Scott created a hair of the dog beverage that doubles as an energy drink. They call it Hot D Wake Up Juice . I met them at the Fabulous Food Show a couple of weeks ago and brought some home.

Appropriately bottled in a medicinal looking amber glass jar, it’s got everything you’d expect in a Bloody Mary mixer and none of the junk found in many commercial brands. Looking to combine ingredients that make you feel better as well as buzzed enough to get moving, they added caffeine, cocoa, and taurine. To make their tomato-based formulation taste good the recipe also includes honey, red wine vinegar, and ginger. For sass, there’s horseradish, cayenne, hot sauce, and black pepper. It’s got enough going on that even if you don’t stir in any spirits, it will surely lift yours.

My days of going overboard in most things are behind me, and I almost never drink enough to cause next day repercussions. So I was not in need of a remedy or a kick-me-up when I paired my Hot D with a splash of Absolut Citron for a round of late Sunday afternoon cocktails. While I can’t comment on its healing properties, I can say that it went down nice and easy, and may have fueled the raucous outbursts of football fans in my living room. Maybe not.

Belly up to the bar to try it at Southside in Tremont, Three Birds, Great Lakes Brewing Co, Garage Bar, and Johnny's Bar. Bottles are on the shelves at Minotti's, Heather's Heat and Flavor, P'zazz, Sappell's, and Simones Beverage or can be ordered online . Cheers!