Drink fine wine and skip the hangover

Alcohol is a drug, of course, and the temptation is always there to drink too much - particularly at this time of year. As with illegal substances, it has a fairly strong and immediate punishment factor that always acts as a (slight) brake on complete over-indulgence. A hangover is the combined effect of dehydration, lack of sleep and the toxins that are present in most alcoholic drinks.

The solution is probably to not drink too much in the first place - but that's a rather obvious and somewhat boring answer. Much more realistic to have a few restoratives up your sleeve. There used to be a wonderful old-fashioned chemist in St James's Street, London who would prescribe a 'special hangover remedy': a noxious pink substance that was administered with a strict lecture (although the real punishment was in the taste).

More exotic hangover cures include: a Prairie Oyster, which contains tomato juice, Worcester sauce, salt and pepper, a raw egg and - for the brave - a shot of vodka; Underberg, which is a foul-tasting German remedy made from herbs aged in Slovenian oak barrels; and for a more modern remedy, milk thistle.

I am a great believer, though, in prevention rather than cure. And by that I mean take something before you go to bed: a single aspirin seems to help, but best of all is several glasses of cold water to counteract the dehydration. Then, the next morning, have a big breakfast to settle the stomach and restore your energy.

Turning to vinous matters, the secret is to drink good, high quality wine and avoid the cheap stuff. Cheap-wine hangovers are caused by the sulphur, additives and numerous other toxins that economy wine contains. Good wine that has aged is far purer, and red wine in particular contains lots of vitamins and minerals that are actually - dare I say it - rather good for you.

I was at a dinner a few weeks ago where we drank an imperiale (eight bottles in one) of Chateau Palmer 1988 - in other words, far too much. The wine was fabulous though, and the next morning, I had a completely clear head and the sun shone brightly for me. ·