Could this pasta dish be the ultimate hangover cure?

Ladies and gentlemen, it may just be the ultimate hangover cure: penne alla vodka.

Wine & spirits publication Vinepair has declared a winner in the ultimate hangover cure category. No, it's not breakfast burritos, bacon and eggs, or anything fried. It's pasta. 

Penne alla vodka to be exact. 

Writer Emily Saladino describes the Italian-American pasta dish as "History's unsung hangover cure." 

The dish is simple: sauteed garlic in olive oil, chopped or canned tomatoes, and vodka. Once combined and having simmered for a spell, add in butter and heavy cream and maybe a touch of pepper flakes and you've got a sauce ready for a miserable feeling person. 

The Origins of Penne Alla Vodka

The origins of penne alla vodka are conflicting. Cookbook author Barbara Kafka claims its origins to be in Italy, where it is believed grappa was used in the sauce, rather than vodka.

However, Paula Franzese, a legal scholar at Seton Hall University, claims her father, Luigi, invented the recipe at his restaurant in New York City in the 1970s. He used vodka to help thin the sauce of his pasta dish.

Additionally, a restaurant called Dante in Bologna, Italy, claims to have invented it in the 1970s, in lieu of vodka distributors leaving too much product at the restaurant (and we'd hate unused vodka to go to waste). 

What we do know for sure, is that penne alla vodka can help cure your woes. 

Carb + Vodka = Magic

There are two key components that are believed to make this the best hangover helper after a rough night: carbohydrates and booze. 

According to Dr. Richard Stephens, Senior Lecturer of Psychology at Keele University in Staffordshire, England and a member of the Alcohol Hangover Research Group, "The most effective hangover cures are ones that administer glucose, and the pasta component of the penne alla vodka provides just that, the carb bomb. 

The second component, and the reason you are most likely hungover, is the vodka.

While many dishes that utilize alcohol in the cooking process are practically void of alcohol levels due to the alcohol "burning off" by the time the dish is finished cooking or baking, penne alla vodka is the opposite - penne alla vodka recipes average 1 1/3 ounces of vodka per serving and only about 40 percent of the vodka burns off during cooking - leaving about half a cocktail worth of vodka (just under an ounce) in your portion of pasta. 

It's what we call in the English language the hair of the dog. 

Saladino compares penne alla vodka to a Bloody Mary "in the form of warm, creamy pasta."

But really, does it cure a hangover? 

The vodka, like in a Bloody Mary, helps trigger your brain's pleasure receptors, overpowering the bad feelings earned from a night out.

But, the "good" feelings only last for a few hours, or until the "rest, hydration and asprin" are called into play, says Dr. Laura Veach, Director of Screening and Counseling Intervention Services and Training in the Department of Surgery at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Hair of the dog merely "postpones" your hangover. 

Whether you're hungover, or looking for a delicious Italian-American comfort meal with a touch of booze, penne alla vodka may be just what the doctor ordered. 

Check out Vinepair's article and a recipe for penne all vodka here and drink responsibly.

About Sarah

Sarah Stierch is a journalist and photographer based in Sonoma, California in the United States. She primarily works in the realms of wine, travel, food and culture. Her work can be discovered in Wine Enthusiast, Sonoma Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, KQED, Motorburn, The Huffington Post, North Bay Biz, North Bay Woman, the Bohemian, The Press Democrat, Sonoma Index-Tribune, and more. She's a former fellow at the Wikimedia Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, and Berkeley Center for New Media.

Photo credits

1. Penne alla Vodka by Kim Dodge 

2. Penne alla vodka courtesy of Cugino's Italian Restuarant