The alcoholic drinks that are most and least likely to give you a hangover (2024)

FAQs

The alcoholic drinks that are most and least likely to give you a hangover? ›

Choosing types of alcohol with fewer congeners—like beer, vodka and wine—might reduce your hangover symptoms compared to alcohols with higher congeners—like brandy, whiskey and rum.

“Vodka is known to be the best alcoholic beverage for the most minimal hangover. Gin, light rum and white wine are runner-ups—with brandy and whiskey being at the bottom of the list.

“Brandy has the highest amount, followed by dark alcohols like whiskey and red wine,” says Czarena Crofcheck, Ph. D, a food science professor at the University of Kentucky. “Their high levels of fusel alcohol make them much harder for the body to metabolize.”

Drinking green tea, honey chrysanthemum tea, or soda water can boost alcohol metabolism and also prevent alcohol-related damage to the liver, according to a 2016 study ( 5 ).

Want to gain an edge over plain old water to treat your hangover? Consider reaching for Gatorade, Pedialyte, Powerade, or a similar nonfizzy sports drink.

While you might think that overindulging in any kind of spirit will result in a horrid hangover, think again. The colorless, odorless and flavorless spirit known as vodka is actually less likely to give you a hangover than any other spirit.

If you're looking to reduce the chance of a wine hangover, opt for a lower alcohol wine like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling.

Drink small sips of clear liquids to rehydrate. Wait until about 30 minutes after you last vomited. Examples of clear liquid include water, Pedialyte, Gatorade, or Powerade. Low sugar ginger ale does the trick as well.

Myth: Having an alcoholic drink in the morning after a night of drinking will help avoid a hangover—a practice known colloquially as “a hair of the dog that bit you.” Fact: While this might temporarily minimize some symptoms, it could contribute to and prolong the malaise and other symptoms of the hangover.

Some Tequilas may have more congeners than others and, therefore, give slightly different intensity hangovers. Unfortunately, a no “hangover Tequila” doesn't exist. If you drink enough of any type of Tequila, even the purest Blanco you can find, you're guaranteed to wake up with a nasty hangover.

Which alcohol is easiest on stomach? ›

According to the pH level, gin, tequila, and non-grain vodkas are the lowest acidity options; choosing drinks made with these alcohols will be best on your stomach. You'll be best served by a drink made with a light juice like apple, pear, or cranberry, but sometimes you just really want that kick of citrus.

The Chinese study showed that Sprite could help clear alcohol's toxic byproducts faster than other beverages thanks to the amino acid taurine, a common ingredient in soft drinks. Taurine has been shown to speed up the ALDH process and promote the elimination of acetaldehyde.

"When you're hungover, you need to hydrate your body. The way you feel – that headache – it's mostly caused by dehydration. Something like Coca-Cola has lots of sugar and fluids and will put those back into your body to get your energy levels up. The caffeine will also give you an energy boost."

Tequila has less sugar and calories than similar liquors, which may make it a slightly healthier option if you drink. But when mixing it with other ingredients, be careful to account for the whole drink's nutrition and not just the tequila measure.

But a study by the British Medical Journal found that vodka is actually the least likely drink to give you a hangover: it's so pure that it contains virtually no congeners. Mixing vodka with soda or fruit juice is ideal, as sugary soft drinks can contribute to a headache the morning after the night before.

The main ingredient in alcohol that is responsible for a sore head is ethanol. There are a variety of reasons why this potent chemical can cause a headache such as its ability to dilate the blood vessels. Alcohol is a diuretic, causing the body to lose vital salts and minerals which help it to function.

Red wines which are high in histamines that can cause an allergy/Sinus like headache. If sulfites are a problem then avoid sweet white wines that tend to have higher sulfite content. Sulfites are more prevalent in dried fruits or lunch meats than they are in wine.

If you don't like the taste of alcohol, go for sweeter, juicier wines with a low alcohol content, or try working up to a full glass by making yourself a summery wine spritzer every now and then. We suggest a white Zinfandel or Moscato as an introductory beverage.

To avoid another killer hangover the next time you drink: Swap red for white wine. White wine contains almost no congeners, so if you're not ready to break up with wine, swap your red for white.

How can I drink alcohol throughout the day? ›

If you are drinking alcohol, ensure you drink plenty of water too—just alternate drinks. This will allow your liver to better process the alcohol and reduce damage.

No food can erase the effects of a night of drinking alcohol, but the best hangover foods are hydrating and anti-inflammatory. Rest helps, too. Try to avoid greasy foods, sugar, and caffeine which can make your symptoms worse. Instead, stick to water and foods like bananas and crackers.

If you drink a tremendous amount of water, you could dilute the concentration of electrolytes in your bloodstream, which can cause you to feel nauseous. To fix this issue, you may want to drink something that has electrolytes in it, such as a sports drink.

Eating more zinc-rich foods — such as nuts, seeds, eggs, dairy products, and whole grains — may also be associated with decreased hangover severity ( 12 ). Eating a good breakfast can help maintain your blood sugar levels, provide important vitamins and minerals, and reduce the symptoms of a hangover.

There was no correlation between hangover symptoms and whether subjects drank only wine, only beer, or switched between them in either order.

The study found that Americans ranked Tequila as the worst hangover of their lives at 22.94%, followed by vodka (20.82%), wine (17.02%), and whiskey (15.43%).

The quantity of alcohol consumed matters more than what spirits are being mixed. However, clear spirits like vodka, gin, tequila blanco, and white wine tend to be less hangover producing than dark spirits like whiskey, rum, aged tequila, and red wine.

Tequila: Tequila shots will definitely make your sleeves fall of quickly, especially for women. Tequila shots will gear up your sex drive and bring kind of a euphoric effect, when you are all set to go wild on bed, floor, or bathroom. While tequila shots do wonders to a men's sex drive, it is more beneficial for women.

What alcohol makes you the least sick? ›

Choosing types of alcohol with fewer congeners—like beer, vodka and wine—might reduce your hangover symptoms compared to alcohols with higher congeners—like brandy, whiskey and rum.

Whiskey is a Digestion Aid

Drinking whiskey after a large, delicious meal (at State Fare?) can help ease an upset stomach. The high proof whiskey stimulates the stomach's enzymes, which help to break down food. This benefit makes whiskey an excellent part of your next happy hour.

While sweet drinks might taste good, they're more likely to upset your stomach if you have a history of digestive problems. Your fruity rum co*cktail, dessert wine, and hard cider all contain sugars that can upset the digestive system, according to registered dietitian Stephanie Clairmont.

"Alcohol is the worst drink for your liver as it makes it harder on the liver to break down and remove toxins from the body," says Minerva Valencia, RD. "Alcohol is known to cause damage to this vital organ, but a wide variety of alcoholic drinks can also pose health risks," says Janet Coleman, RD at TheConsumerMag.

Experts consider one drink of alcohol to be 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounce of hard liquor. Consuming an occasional glass or 2 of an alcoholic beverage usually won't cause harmful effects to individuals with full kidney function.

Which Alcohol Is the Least Inflammatory? If you're generally healthy, a small amount of alcohol every day probably won't lead to inflammation, reassures Jandes. “Dry red wine seems to have the least amount of negative health effects due to its higher polyphenol content and beneficial bacteria,” she says.

Our study identified vodka, which contains almost no substances other than ethanol and water, as the least frequent migraine-provoking beverage, and red wine as the most frequent provoking beverage.

Dark drinks, like red wine and bourbon, have more congeners than light ones and there are several studies to show that for a given level of blood alcohol, dark drinks produce worse hangovers.

Lighter color beers have fewer congeners, which are positively correlated with hangover symptoms. For example, lighter beers like a lager or a witbier will give you less of a hangover than a dark stout or hefty porter.

Why does Tito's vodka give me a headache? ›

The main ingredient in alcohol that is responsible for a sore head is ethanol. There are a variety of reasons why this potent chemical can cause a headache such as its ability to dilate the blood vessels. Alcohol is a diuretic, causing the body to lose vital salts and minerals which help it to function.

In fact, it's the type of alcohol that is a common trigger. “The most common alcohol that triggers a migraine attack is red wine, followed by white wine, champagne and beer,” she says.

The study found that Americans ranked Tequila as the worst hangover of their lives at 22.94%, followed by vodka (20.82%), wine (17.02%), and whiskey (15.43%). However, getting a nasty hangover isn't the worst thing in the world—especially if you look at the results of this survey.

It's true: Wine hangovers really are the worst. And it's not just your imagination — certain factors actually make them feel worse than, say, a beer hangover.

Myth: The order of drinks will affect a hangover—as captured in the expression, “beer before liquor, never sicker.” Fact: In general, the more alcohol a person drinks, the worse the hangover will be. This is true regardless of whether a person drinks beer, wine, distilled spirits, or a combination of these.

"Drinking water may help against thirst and a dry mouth, but it will not take away the misery, the headache and the nausea."

A genetic variation that affects the way alcohol is metabolized may make some people flush, sweat or become ill after drinking even a small amount of alcohol. Factors that may make a hangover more likely or severe include: Drinking on an empty stomach.