心情不倒翁

  

Hangover cures are personal things. Some people prefer to guzzle green juice after raging all night, while others won't even think of facing the world before eating a bacon egg and cheese. But the employees of design and nightlife collective Kinfolk -- who are practically required to party at all times -- swear by one remedy: Ukon Power, a Japanese turmeric root drink.

In fact, it's the only food product they stock at their Williamsburg, Brooklyn shop. Kinfolk's creative director Jey Perie -- who came to rely on Ukon while working in Tokyo's nightlife scene -- recommends chugging one of the 3.4-ounce bottles before drinking. (The beverage's high concentration of curcumin, an active ingredient of turmeric, is believed to enhance liver function.)

So, earlier this week I did just that. Ukon Power smells like a cross between Red Bull and cough syrup, although, unlike Red Bull, it's sort of viscous -- not fizzy. The drink, which doesn't contain any sugar or caffeine, is billed as "mild and refreshing." And while it's definitely mild (the strongest taste is the artificial sweetener, not the turmeric), thick medicinal-smelling orange liquid isn't exactly what you want to be sipping on an 80-degree night. (Maybe if you grated some ginger in it? And poured it over ice?)

The next morning I felt great! Like I didn't even drink the night before! But, to be fair, this may have had just as much to do with all the water I was drinking between cocktails (it was 80 degrees, remember) as with the Ukon.

Still, if you're curious (I'll probably give it one more go), you can buy a six-pack for $28 on Amazon. (Although, eating a breakfast taco piled high with chorizo, or a stack of pancakes and two cups of extra-strong coffee, might be more fun, as far as hangover cures go.)