'Tis the season to be jolly - and sometimes a little tipsy, too. Last night's party may have been a blast, but morning can feel like you've been run over by Santa's sleigh.

The various hardships of the hangover are mainly caused by dehydration and the toxic by-products of half-digested alcohol. Most hangovers can be cured by drinking a sports drink containing electrolytes, eating a greasy breakfast sandwich, and then settling down to a Top Chef marathon on TV.

But then there is that other hangover: the kind that makes you wish you were dead. When desperate times call for desperate measures, we suggest you turn to the Prairie Oyster - the Atom bomb of hangover cures.

Prairie Oyster

Olive oil
Tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 egg yolk
Salt and pepper
Tabasco
Worcestershire sauce
Vinegar or lemon juice
Rinse a cocktail glass with the olive oil and discard oil. Mix remaining ingredients (except egg yolk) and add to glass. Top mixture carefully with egg yolk. Drink whole and chase with a glass of ice water.

Let the healing begin.