It seems that the older I get, the less I’m able to tolerate having a hangover. In my younger days, it seemed I could put my shitty physical state out of my mind and function fairly well. In fact, sometimes a mild hangover would help me get things done because I didn’t have the energy or mental capacity for distractions. Well, those days are over. Even mild hangovers make me miserable now, and I’m sure that in the long run, this is probably a good thing. Still, on those occasions when it’s too late to avoid one, I’m willing to re-examine a notion I once scoffed at: hangover remedies.

Coconut water, which has been quietly infiltrating delis and supermarkets over the past few years, has been touted as an excellent re-hydrator for desiccated barflies. An Observer article noted that one brand, Vita Coco, contains 15 times more electrolytes than sports drinks and as much potassium as two bananas. According to the NY Post, Madonna is an investor in Vita Coco, and while I can’t really picture her polluting herself with booze, she doesn’t look any worse for her coconut water habit. An article in Time magazine reported that coconut water has used intravenously in medical emergencies and that it contains the same five electrolytes as human blood. The writer of the article even states that after drinking one for a hangover, “I felt noticeably better in an hour.” Anecdotal evidence is good enough for me! I grabbed a box of Vita Coco the morning of my next hangover, while on the way to the Apple Store (if there’s one thing crappier than waking up with a hangover, it’s waking up with a hangover and realizing your computer has died, taking with it an embarrassing amount of un-backed-up data).

First of all, you probably want a straw to drink your Vita Coco with. I suppose you could chug it directly from the box, but in my state I couldn’t do that gracefully, and I have too many memories of back-firing Capri Sun pouches to entrust myself with this task. Taste-wise I was expecting something like a virgin pina colada, but I was thinking of coconut milk, which is harvested from mature coconuts. Coconut water, which comes from green coconuts, is undoubtedly watery. Vita Coco had a faintly sweet taste, not exactly a flavor but more of a stale-ish quality. It wasn’t bad, especially as I got used to it, but it would have been more pleasant consumed ice-cold, or enhanced with other flavors (Vita Coco also makes pomegranate and pineapple blends).

So did it make my hangover better? I’m sorry to say it did not, but I didn’t feel any worse. Maybe my hangover was just too powerful, or maybe careening around in the back of a taxi with a dead laptop was counteracting hydration by making me queasy. There is probably some psychological benefit to be had from purchasing something that’s nutritious, as opposed to helplessly enduring your day-after punishment. For now, I think I’m stuck with avoidance as the only solution.

Vita Coco is available in delis, usually next to the sports drinks