When I met Brandin Cohen, the co-founder of Liquid I.V. I was intrigued and of course I was a little skeptical. I’d been helping Brandin with creating some t-shirts for his brand, which he told me was a “total hangover cure”. Okay, usually when I think of hangover cures, I just assume they are for people who can’t handle a glass of wine or two at dinner. Brandin happily gave me some samples, which included the brand’s sports re-hydration therapy, and their hangover cure.
For the Sport version, their website explains “Liquid I.V. contains high levels of the key electrolytes involved in rehydration. In combination with the optimal amount of glucose, this formula rapidly combats the effects of dehydration caused by physical exertion and an active lifestyle. Our proprietary blend utilizes vitamins and other all-natural ingredients to prevent cramping and promote healthy living. We call it our “I.V. in a bottle. For The Ultimate Hangover Remedy version, the proprietary blend specifically utilizes vitamins and other all-natural ingredients to help the body eliminate toxins.”
I am notoriously dehydrated so I popped open a bottle of the Sport Liquid I.V. after a long day of running all over Los Angeles. The drink was good, but it definitely tasted like a supplement. This isn’t really something I’d sip on lightly, this is a seriously hardcore rehydrator for when you are exhausted from working out… or completely hung-over and out of reserves.
The first time I really needed the Ultimate Hangover Remedy from Liquid I.V. was actually this past weekend. My friend does roller derby, and her squad was hosting a BYOB night at the local roller rink. Sweet, I’ve totally gone roller skating before, I actually used to go constantly when I was eleven. How much could I really have I forgotten in fifteen years? BYOB Roller skating in theory sounds hilarious and awesome, and I will admit that four beers in I was like “Yo, I’ve totally seen Xanadu, I’ve got this sh*t.” Yeah, uh… I’m actually typing this with an ice pack strapped to my elbow. You see, I was convinced that I was just the best roller skater in all the land, and obviously the beer was helping. To keep up with my awesome performance, I’d slam additional beers after skating a few laps on the rink. By laps on the rink, I really mean I was just speeding up really fast when I heard a song I liked, awkwardly looking backwards at my friends like “AYYYO I LOVE THIS!” completely slamming into the people and walls in front of me, all while bouncing out of sync with the music. Beers turned into shots, and skating turned into drunken flailing while my boyfriend dragged me by the hand around the rink. I’m just glad I didn’t wear a leotard that night, because going to the bathroom on those skates was truly the most dangerous thing I did all night. I vaguely remember the ride home, and I did try to take notes on how much I had to drink, but all my notebook says is “Drinking skates are good, but I’m the best. I peed with a Beaker mask and I made an onion bagel”… So… There’s that.
Before I went to sleep that night–apparently after making an onion bagel–I mixed myself some Liquid I.V. in a full Nalgene bottle. It was super potent, so I had to keep watering it down, probably causing me to drink two full 32 oz Nalgene bottles. So whether the Liquid I.V. stuff is seriously magical, or just was good at tricking me into drinking a butt load of water before bed, I am happy to report I didn’t get sick that night. I mixed up the rest of the powder to drink in the morning, to counteract the head ache I woke up with. Instead of pulling the “ohhh I’m so hungover” card and camping out watching Netflix all day, I actually hopped in the shower and ran some errands. I even cleaned and made dinner that night, so it’s not like Liquid I.V. has anything in it that “wore off” or made me feel weird later in the day. I’m pretty damn impressed with this product, and if you’re starting to hurt a little more when you drink, it’s worth checking out! You can currently order their products on the website, whether you’re looking for a monthly supply (go halfsies with the roommate!) or looking to just try them once. Soon, big stores will be carrying their products, but until that time, check out their site for ordering information.