Original Article: http://dartreview.com/archives/2004/10/19/barretts_mixology.php
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
The Salty Dog
3 oz Gin
1/4 Tsp Salt
Grapefruit Juice
Pour gin and salt into a Collins Glass over ice. Add grapefruit juice to fill. Stir.
I awoke in late afternoon, viciously hung over, and went outside to stretch whatever could still move. As I gazed across the Green towards Robinson Hall, the light from the setting sun sent a searing pain through my head, stomach, and liver; and, as I raced back inside to seek out a garbage bin, I immediately recalled two of the grand Dartmouth Traditions: the hangover and the Salty Dog Rag. While all students are undoubtedly familiar with both, I doubt that any realize how intimately they are connected. You see, in my search for a waste receptacle, I also remembered my math midterm, which was to commence in fifteen minutes. In no condition to sit for exam, I was desparate.
Thinking back to my early years of skiing, I recalled a regular group of adults in the lodge who would be the first up the lift on a daily basis, only to come in by ten A.M. for a round of Bloody Marys, ski for a while longer, then commence with merry-making by one. I soon caught on that the Bloody Marys, long-recognized as the universal hangover cure, were just that. Though every now and then, particularly on powder days, I would see a few in the group drinking grapefruit juice out of a large pitcher. While I initially thought they were simply health-conscious, the truth was explained to me some years later. They were not drinking juice but rather Salty Dogs, which are rumored to be an equally potent hangover cure, particularly when one cannot stomach a Bloody anything.
With now fewer than thirteen minutes until the beginning of my exam, I figured anything was worth a shot. I fetched my bottle of Tanqueray, poured out several ounces, added grapefruit juice and salt, and shook vigorously. Though I cannot attest for the exam results, I was certainly feeling much refreshed by the end of it.