Something with real sodium in it and a little sugar to carry the sodium — which in practice means an oral rehydration solution, a well-made electrolyte mix, or a bowl of soup. Everything else on the usual list is either too dilute to do the job or is doing a different job than you think.
And one honest caveat before the rankings, because it reframes the whole question: the research does not support the idea that hydration fixes a hangover. What it supports is that replacing fluid and salt addresses the fluid-and-salt part of feeling bad, which is a smaller share of it than the category implies.
The benchmark everything gets measured against
Oral rehydration solution is the reference standard, and it is worth knowing the numbers because they are what every other drink here falls short of.
The World Health Organization's reduced-osmolarity formula runs 75 mmol/L of sodium — about 1,725mg per litre — with 75 mmol/L of glucose, at a total osmolarity of 245 mOsm/L. That pairing is not arbitrary. Sodium and glucose are absorbed together by the same intestinal transporter, and water follows them across. Take away the glucose and the sodium works less well; take away the sodium and you are drinking water.
Hold 1,725mg of sodium per litre in your head. It is the number the rest of this article keeps failing to reach.
The ranking
| drink | sodium | verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Oral rehydration solution | ~1,725mg/L | The benchmark. Tastes medicinal. Works |
| Broth or soup | 700–900mg per cup | Sensible, easy on a bad stomach, no trial behind it |
| A proper electrolyte mix | Varies enormously — check the label | Good if the sodium is real; most are not |
| Sports drinks | ~465mg/L | Around a quarter of ORS strength |
| Coconut water | Low sodium, high potassium | The wrong ratio, backwards |
| Fruit juice | Negligible | Fluid and sugar. That is all |
| Coffee | None | Not a rehydration drink and not a cure |
| Milk | Negligible | No evidence either way |
| Water | None | Do drink it. Just do not expect it to fix anything |
Where each one actually lands
Broth and soup — the underrated answer
No trial has tested broth against a hangover, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. But a cup of most commercial broths carries 700 to 900mg of sodium, it is warm, it goes down when solid food will not, and its composition points the right direction rather than the wrong one.
That combination — defensible on mechanism, easy on a rough stomach, and cheap — makes it the most sensible non-medicinal option on the list. There is a reason nearly every food culture arrived at a savoury soup independently.
Sports drinks — designed for a different problem
Roughly 465mg of sodium per litre, against ORS's 1,725. That is around a quarter of the strength, and it is not an accident: sports drinks are formulated around palatability during exercise for people who are not seriously depleted, not around aggressive rehydration.
Not useless. Not what the marketing implies either. And the sugar load is higher than you need sitting still at 9am. Every bottle on that shelf, normalised per litre, is ranked here.
Coconut water — the ratio is backwards
This is the one that surprises people, because coconut water has an unimpeachable reputation as "nature's sports drink."
Raw coconut water runs roughly 105mg of sodium and 250mg of potassium per 100g — a sodium-to-potassium ratio of about 1 to 2.4. ORS runs the ratio the other way round, roughly 2.2 to 1 in favour of sodium.
Sodium is the electrolyte that drives water absorption across the intestinal wall. Potassium is not doing that job. So coconut water is high in the mineral that matters less here and low in the one that matters more, which makes it a pleasant drink and a poor rehydration solution. Packaged brands vary, so check the label rather than the reputation.
Coffee — feels like it works, for the wrong reason
The NIAAA lists coffee among hangover myths, and the interesting part is why it nonetheless feels effective to habitual drinkers. We went through that properly in the food article — the short version is that skipping your usual coffee produces a withdrawal headache that is easy to mistake for a hangover headache.
Have it if you always have it. It is masking fatigue, not resolving anything.
Fruit juice — and the fructose theory
There is an old idea that fructose accelerates alcohol metabolism, and it has a kernel of truth: some studies do show fructose modestly speeding ethanol elimination.
Two problems. The doses used are far beyond what is in a glass of orange juice. And more fundamentally, nobody has connected faster ethanol clearance to a milder hangover — by morning the ethanol is largely gone anyway, and the things making you feel bad are downstream of it.
Juice is fluid and sugar and it tastes good when you feel rough. That is a fine reason to drink it.
Milk — no evidence, either version
Neither the "line your stomach beforehand" version nor the "settles you afterwards" version has a trial behind it. On the first: no food coats the stomach against alcohol; what food does is slow gastric emptying, which slows absorption. That is a general food effect, not a milk one, and it belongs to the article about eating first.
Water — necessary, insufficient
The honest framing for the whole category, and it comes from a 2024 review in Alcohol that looked directly at the question. Its finding: hangover and dehydration are co-occurring but largely independent consequences of drinking, and water consumption was not effective at relieving hangover severity in the studies reviewed.
That is not "hydration is pointless." Thirst, dry mouth and the fluid deficit are real and worth addressing on their own terms. It is that the fluid deficit was never the main event. We have made that case at length, including the part where it is inconvenient for us.
Electrolyte powders, including ours
The category the rest of this list is being compared against, and the range within it is enormous — some are close to ORS-strength, plenty are flavoured water with a mineral list.
The two things worth checking are sodium in milligrams and whether any carbohydrate came with it. The full criteria, and how to read a label against them, are here.
Two the internet insists on
Pickle juice turns out to be salt water with an unusually good story attached. The evidence, and the two mechanisms people cite that do not transfer.
Hair of the dog postpones rather than resolves, and the biochemical theory usually offered for it has been tested and failed. That one is worth reading properly.
A drinking order that makes sense
- Water first thing, because you will drink it and it costs nothing.
- Something with real sodium — broth, an ORS, or an electrolyte mix with the numbers to back it.
- Food alongside, which does more of this work than any drink. What to eat.
- Coffee if you always have coffee, understood for what it is.
- Stop expecting the drink to be the answer. Sleep and time are doing most of the work and neither is for sale.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best drink for a hangover? One with meaningful sodium and a little carbohydrate — an oral rehydration solution, a well-formulated electrolyte mix, or broth. Those address the fluid and salt side properly. Nothing addresses the rest.
Is Gatorade good for a hangover? It is reasonable and weaker than people assume — roughly a quarter of the sodium concentration of an oral rehydration solution, with more sugar than you need at rest.
Is coconut water good for a hangover? It is a pleasant drink with the electrolyte ratio inverted relative to what rehydration needs — high potassium, low sodium. Not the rehydration hero its reputation suggests.
Should I drink Pedialyte for a hangover? It is closer to a genuine oral rehydration solution than most consumer drinks, which is exactly why it works better than a sports drink and tastes worse.
Does drinking water cure a hangover? No. A 2024 review found dehydration and hangover to be co-occurring but independent, and water not effective at relieving severity. Drink it anyway; it is just not the cure.
How much should I drink? Enough to satisfy thirst and to make your urine pale, alongside food with salt in it. There is no evidence for a specific volume, and drinking large amounts of plain water on a depleted system is not doing you a favour.
Where Snake Oil fits
370mg of sodium with 5g of carbohydrate in 16 ounces of water — which works out to roughly 780mg of sodium per litre of drink, against the ORS benchmark of 1,725. Plus potassium, magnesium, zinc, the B lineup with vitamins C and E, and a glutamine-led amino acid blend.† There is also 100mg of caffeine, so treat it accordingly if you are sensitive.
So: well above a sports drink, built on the same sodium-and-carbohydrate principle as a clinical rehydration solution, and formulated at a concentration you will actually finish.
That last part is the point. ORS is the benchmark for a reason and it tastes like the pharmacy it came from — which is why almost nobody drinks one at midnight. The gap between "the formula that works" and "the drink you will actually pick up" is exactly where we built this. Same principle, tuned for a human being on a Saturday night.
†These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Related reading: Liquid I.V. vs LMNT: what is actually in each · How to rehydrate fast · Electrolyte drink for a hangover: what to look for · Hangover food: what to eat the morning after · Best electrolyte drinks: ranked by what is actually in them