Hangover Brunch
The words “hangover” and “brunch” were introduced in the 1890s and 1900s, but they weren’t put together as “hangover brunch” until 1950 (the first recorded citation). A “brunch” is breakfast/lunch and a “hangover’ is the effects of having too much to drink. A “hangover brunch” is scheduled after a night of drinking—such as New Year’s Eve. A “hangover brunch” (especially one on New Year’s Day) often has longer and/or later hours than a regular “brunch” to accommodate those who’ve had a long night.
The “hangover brunch” appears to have started in California (where the earliest recorded citations are found). The “hangover brunch” has expanded past New Year’s Day and has also been given the day after Mardi Gras or just as a more exciting name for “Sunday brunch.”
“Hangover breakfast”—another meal served after a spree, but served earlier than a “hangover brunch”—is cited from the 1930s.
3 December 1950, Los Angeles (CA) Times, “In Palm Springs” by Beth Scott, pg. D15:
Also on the program of entertainment will be a “Hangover Brunch” to be served Sunday midmorning at the Doll House.
29 December 1961, Pasadena (CA) Star-News, pg. 7, col. 7:
The Cooneys plan to spend New Year’s Eve at a Pasadena night spot and Monday will host what they have termed a “Hangover Brunch” for friends who will be invited to watch the Rose Bowl game on color tv.
10 January 1965, Los Angeles (CA) Times, pg. OC27:
“Hangover” Brunch
29 January 1971, Valley News (Van Nuys, CA), pg. 26, col. 8:
A “hangover brunch” is served on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Nemiroff’s for all the family including Saturday night owls who want to recuperate in high style with a repast of eggs benedict, or scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, hash brown potatoes, pancakes and little Danish pastries.
21 December 1973, Newport (RI) Daily News, pg. 2, col. 1:
The Friends of the Newport Music Festival will sponsor a “Hangover Brunch” Jan. 1 from noon to 4 p.m. at the historic Clarke Cooke House on Bannister’s Wharf.
30 December 1973, New York (NY) Times, “Future Social Events” by Russell Edwards, pg. 34:
Snappy New Year
Jan. 1—Here’s a cure that’s worth the disease. Up in Rhode Island, the Friends of the Newport Music Festival will prove what good friends they are to all New Year’s Eve celebrants with their benefit “Hangover Brunch” at the Clarke-Cooke house, next to the Black Pearl Tavern on Bannister’s Wharf, overlooking Narragansett Bay.
23 December 1976, Long Beach (CA) Press Telegram, pg. A20, col. 1 ad:
New Year’s Day
HANGOVER BRUNCH $1.95 (Lucy’s Restaurant—ed.)
28 December 1986, New Mexican (Santa Fe, NM), pg. B6, col. 1 ad:
OPEN
NEW YEAR’S DAY
10 am - 10 pm
HANGOVER BRUNCH
(Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen—ed.)
Google Books
2 January 1995, New York magazine, pg. 98:
restaurants
Hangover Brunch
Pg. 103:
The following is a list of restaurants with open doors for brunch on New Year’s Day.
Willamette Week - Best of Portland 2008
Best Place to Grab a Hangover Brunch
BY WW EDITORIAL STAFF | 503-243-2122
[July 23rd, 2008]
Screen Door
[The Arboretum] 2337 E Burnside St., 542-0880.
Alcoholics in the Arboretum District know the best restorative after a weekend bender is Screen Door’s signature chicken and waffle—half a crispy bird perched atop a sweet-potato waffle. Add some sweet tea and that hangover will retreat faster than the Yankees at Manassas. Take a Southerner’s advice: Grab a side of the cheddar grits.
The Pitch - Best of Kansas City 2008
Best Hangover Brunch
Blue Bird Bistro
1700 Summit • 816-221-7559
There’s little debate among drunkologists that the moral guilt accompanying a hangover is inextricable from the physical symptoms — sometimes the former rages even stronger than the latter. For example, the effects of dehydration are nothing compared with the recollection of wearing whipped cream in public or bursting into tears at the sight of a wandering cat. The next day’s sure cure is a good brunch, preferably with the requisite Bloody Mary accompanying food that will soothe and rejuvenate with its freshness, heartiness and high level of nutrients. Guilt-free for the guilty, in other words. Sustainable salmon, locally grown vegetables, cheese and milk from nearby cows, eggs from chickens roaming free in God’s garden — these are but a few ingredients offered by the Westside’s elegant Blue Bird Bistro for brunch on Sundays. It’s a festival of organic dishes transported to your table in ways that are good for the Earth and easy on the booze budget. Reservations are recommended — this form of penance is popular.
Houston (TX) Press
Hangover Brunch at the Hotel Galvez
By Katharine Shilcutt in Breakfast
Friday, Feb. 13 2009 @ 7:00PM
Hangover brunch sounds a bit juvenile, come to think of it. But let’s be honest: if you’re staying overnight in Galveston on one of the upcoming Mardi Gras weekends, chances are that you aren’t going to be feeling 100% the next morning.
If that sounds like you—or even if you’re just in the mood for a healthy breakfast—then you won’t want to miss the Mardi Gras Brunch served at the stately Hotel Galvez every Sunday throughout February. The gorgeous hotel’s beautiful seaside restaurant, Bernardo’s, will be serving up a bountiful buffet of Cajun and Creole cuisine alongside regular brunch items, prime rib and fresh seafood each Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.