Let’s brush up on the basics (a few cool tips included!)
If you’re greeted with a shot right upon check-in at your hotel, don’t be surprised. A) Slivovice is our national treasure: a transparent spirit that will burn through anything happening in your throat. B) We bond best over a shot or a pint. 🙂 We also love making slivovice at home and basically distill anything we find: plums, cherries, pears… even nuts. But that’s another story.
So, before you get that first shot down in a Prague bar, do this:
- Eat. Fatty food helps slow down alcohol absorption. Go for goulash (a slow-cooked paprika stew) or Svíčková (roasted sirloin in creamy sauce), our national staples. You can taste them with us at the Start up Dinner. Or grab a quick burger or fast food on your way to the bar. You won’t regret it.
- Take an anti-hangover pill. Walk into any pharmacy, show them this, and you’re golden. Two tablets before your first drink and the hangover gods will spare you in the morning.
- Rely on miracles. We also discovered Myrkl. It works on the same principle. But honestly, we couldn’t believe how great it worked. Wild nights, zero hangover. Stock up!
Your ‘during and after’ rules are simple:
- Drink as much water as you can.
- Keep snacking throughout the night.
- Don’t wildly mix what you drink.
- Don’t try to outdrink the locals. You won’t win.
- Before bed, drink some more. Water, dude, just water, put that Staropramen beer down! 😀 and take an aspirin.
Didn’t work out? Time to call grandma!
Maybe you didn’t have time to pick up the anti-hangover medicine. Or you got pulled into partying before you even knew what was happening, with zero time for a proper dinner.
No matter the cause, you’re now lying down while your head is having its own disco. You feel like you’ve just boarded a ferry on an angry ocean, everything is spinning, and the trash can next to your bed is suddenly your bestie. And this, my friend, is the moment to reveal the Czech anti-hangover secrets:
- Bone broth. The holy grail of recovery. Walk into almost any restaurant, and you’ll find some kind of broth waiting to save your life.
- Garlic soup. A level up in the broth game. One bowl of garlic soup and you’ll instantly feel ten times better. The same can’t be said about your smell, but who cares, right? It’s a life-or-death situation. 😀 We love “česnečka” (that’s what we call it) from Lokál.
- “Turek” coffee. Ok, forget your favorite Starbies order. Any Czech grandma will make you a strong “turek”: a coffee where the grounds are still happily sitting at the bottom when you’re done drinking. Yep, you might slurp a little (yucky but traditional 😀). Find a simple, unfancy local restaurant, order one, and feel it kick in instantly.
- Pickle brine. This one is for foodies. Head to the nearest supermarket and grab a jar of pickles for you and the lads. Eating them depends on how your stomach feels, but definitely take a shot of the brine. An electrolyte miracle right there.
- Bread with lard and onions. While you’re at it, grab a cube of lard, a fresh loaf, and some onions at the store. As unappetizing as it may sound, a thick layer of lard on bread will fight that nausea right off.
- Tartar steak, bacon, or eggs. An upgrade from what grandma would serve. She wasn’t grinding meat for tartar daily, but you can try it. It’s raw, yes, but no worries: tartar steaks here are perfectly safe to eat. Not that brave? Find a brunch spot and get that bacon and eggs going.
- Becherovka. You’ll find this in any grandma’s pantry. A Czech herbal liquor that speaks directly to your soul. Have a shot, don’t be scared. This one is allowed on hangover days.
- Tomato juice with pepper & salt. Bloody Mary went virgin, and you’ll be grateful for it today.
- Raw egg + a shot of rum. For the daring ones. Works wonders. The Czech protein shake at its finest.
- A spoon of honey. Simple and innocent, but nature knows what you’ve been up to. 🙂 Sweet, soothing, and surprisingly effective.
- A glass of Kofola. Czech Coca-Cola is always ready to rescue you (and your stomach).
Take it easy after the battle
Finally feeling a bit better? Good. Keep hydrating, pop some vitamins B and C, or grab a little gem from the pharmacy. As for activities, you can still squeeze the best out of your stag do day, even if you’re moving in slow motion.
Take a short walk, binge some Netflix while stuffing your faces with a comforting delivery order, and later you can sweat out the rest of the hangover at a game of human football table or foot darts. Or just be the spectator of the day: jelly wrestling or a classic Prague strip show in a strip club in Prague are waiting for you.
Can’t find lard in the store? No worries, we got you! 😀 We’ll help with prepping your stag do A-Z, don’t hesitate to reach out
