Prairie Oyster
Raw egg yolk, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and vinegar — the classic gulp-it-whole hangover remedy documented in bartending guides since the 1870s.
- 1 wholeegg yolk(keep intact)
- 1 tspworcestershire sauce
- 2 dashhot sauce
- 1 dashvinegar
- 1 pinchsalt and pepper
- 1Carefully place the egg yolk in a rocks glass without breaking it.
- 2Add worcestershire sauce and hot sauce and vinegar.
- 3Season with salt and pepper.
- 4Swallow in one gulp without breaking the yolk.
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The Prairie Oyster is a legendary hangover remedy with a history in American and British drinking culture stretching back to at least the 1870s, when it appeared in bartending guides as a cure for the morning-after effects of heavy drinking. The drink combines a raw egg yolk (kept intact like an oyster in its shell — hence the name) with Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, pepper, and vinegar, which the drinker typically swallows in a single gulp. The Prairie Oyster's effectiveness as a hangover remedy lacks rigorous scientific validation, but its active ingredients provide practical benefits: raw egg yolk offers protein and cysteine (which helps metabolize acetaldehyde), Worcestershire provides electrolytes, and the shock of the flavor and texture is believed to trigger the body's alert responses. It has been documented in cocktail guides from Oscar Wilde's era through the present day.
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