‘How I Met Your Mother’ Season 9 Spoilers: What Was The Secret Ingredient To Barney’s 'Stinson Hangover Fixer Elixir' In Episode 18? [RECAP]

After watching Monday night’s episode of “How I Met Your Mother,” we vow never to get as drunk as Barney on his wedding night. But if we do, our fingers are crossed that someone is kind enough to bring us a Stinson Hangover Fixer Elixir.

Fans of the CBS series have been waiting quite some time for “HIMYM” to return to the small screen. And due to the hiatus, creators of the long-running show (Craig Thomas and Carter Bays) made sure not to let us down when they aired episode 18, “Rally.”

So, what exactly happened in the night’s episode? Well, it might make your stomach turn.

Episode 18 was based around Barney’s massive hangover, which was dubbed “the world’s worst,” and it happened to occur on the day of his wedding. In a moment of panic, Robin turned to the gang to help her get Barney up on his feet for their wedding photos. That’s when Ted suggested “A Weekend at Barney’s.”

But Robin wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of playing the role of a puppeteer, which is when the gang unanimously decided on recreating Barney’s famous "Stinson Hangover Fixer Elixir." However, the suit-donning bro never revealed to his buds what the secret ingredient was. That’s when Robin, Lily, Marshall and Ted agreed to split up in hopes of duplicating the elixir to cure Barney’s hangover.

While Marshall and Ted rummaged around Far Hampton for the ingredients (Funyuns, Tantrum, grease), Lily and Robin tried everything in the book to make Barney wake up. The girls dunked his head into a tub of ice, forced him to watch a clip of a roaring bear, and even threatened to cut his tie in half. But it was one trick the best friends had up their sleeves that eventually opened Barney’s eyes: a kiss.

As Lily and Robin toyed with the idea of playing tonsil hockey, Marshall and Ted searched Far Hampton high and low for their last ingredient. But according to the elite chef at the Far Hampton Inn, their pristine establishment doesn’t use grease—well, except when making bacon. That’s when Ted’s eyes locked onto the caloric breakfast treat, urging Marshall to eat all the fatty food, so the chefs were forced to make more. But Marshall wouldn’t budge, resulting in Ted eating bacon for the first time despite his mother’s warning that he was “allergic.”

“I have seen the face of God,” Ted said after taking his first bite of bacon. Eventually, the love-seeking pal fell into a bacon-like coma, but not before they were able to bring the final ingredients to Barney’s hotel room. That’s when Marshall and Ted walked in on Lily and Robin’s kiss, which—surprise, surprise—woke Barney up.

The gang was then able to ask Barney what the final ingredient to the Stinson Hangover Fixer Elixir was.

“Stinson’s Hangover Fixer Elixir is a lie. That’s the secret,” Barney mumbled. Frustrated and confused, they asked him why he lied. “Because I love you guys,” he answered before passing out.

With that said, the friends were riled up and ready to throw Barney down the stairs yet again. That’s when his fiancée stepped in.

“He made up the Stinson Hanover Fixer Elixir so we could all believe we could rally,” Robin explained. Barney’s made-up potion helped every single one of his friends get through some of the roughest times of their lives. From getting left at the altar to having to partake in the loudest field trip of all time, Barney’s magic green drink helped his friends believe they could conquer their hangovers.

That’s when Barney’s friends decided to return the favor by making up a lie about how they re-enacted “A Weekend At Barney’s” instead of letting their hungover friend learn the truth about what actually occurred. Because the groom was unable to stand up straight, Robin forwent her wedding photos and her father was not too happy about it.

What a legen-wait for it-dary episode! What did you think of “Rally”? Let us know your thoughts about episode 18 of “How I Met Your Mother” in the comments section below.