Compounds like congeners found in alcohol might further contribute to your hangover's severity. 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.
"Darker alcohol — like red wine, scotch, whiskey and bourbon — will have higher levels of conjoners. "[They're] more likely to cause hangovers the following day," he continues. "Clear liquors — like gin and vodka, for instance — are less likely to have these compounds and less likely, therefore, to cause hangovers."
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. But go easy.
Drinks like red wine, brandy, and whisky all contain congeners that exacerbate a hangover by messing with your body's PH levels. A large amount of methanol can also be a morning buzzkill, according to Roger Corder, author of the Wine Diet and Professor of Barts and the London School of Medicine.
While lighter beer, wine, and spirits like vodka generally aren't as aromatic as their darker counterparts, gin is a notable exception. Gin can be intensely aromatic, and indeed, Nelson notes, it does contain high levels of congeners and can lead to worse hangovers as a result, even if it's clear.
Drinking a couple of gin and tonics in a bar is less likely to give people hangovers than taking pure shots of gin. The tonic water will dilute the drink and bring the alcohol content down a few notches.
Some alcoholics prefer to drink vodka because it is clear and looks like water, and it doesn't have the strong odors that other alcoholic beverages have. Just because someone prefers vodka doesn't mean they're an alcoholic.
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. This recommendation comes courtesy of Kelly Kennedy, RDN, the staff nutritionist at Everyday Health.
keiskei juice, green grape juice, and pear juice may help to relieve hangover symptoms. A 2017 study also found that some beverages containing ginseng or pear juice could provide relief of some symptoms related to hangovers.
All liquor contains congeners, but whiskey has a much higher concentration. This is due to how it's made. Whiskey is typically distilled in oak barrels which is how it gets the darker color, Research shows that whiskey may have about 37 times more congeners than vodka, resulting in a horrible hangover.
The synthetic alcohol Alcarelle is currently with regulators seeking approval and, if approved, is set to soon become aimed at consumers who enjoy the buzz of drinking as well as the relaxation it offers without the health implications, loss of control or hangovers.
Red wine, whiskey, tequila, and hard kombucha are healthier options than beer and sugary drinks. The CDC recommends you limit alcohol to 2 drinks a day if you're male and 1 if you're female.
Though the alcohol content, of course, plays a role in causing a hangover, chemicals called congeners may be to blame for the super-intense hangovers that are caused by certain types of vodka.
“Hangover research indicates the more congeners in the intoxicating drink, the more likely the hangover,” she says. “At least two studies show more severe hangover symptoms occur when drinking darker liquors, such as bourbon whiskey, with very high congener content.”
Dark congeners
These congeners are also responsible for some of the distinct tastes in darker drinks, like whiskey, red wine, or brandy. A 2006 Dutch study on college students found that darker alcohol with more congeners tend to cause worse hangovers.
Obviously, the only sure way to avoid a hangover is to not drink alcohol. But if you are going to indulge, Tabakoff says the tried-and-true advice — eat something before you drink, and while you drink, makes good sense. "Food is very good for the purpose of slowing the absorption of alcohol," he says.
The sugar in full fat Coca Cola will give you some much needed energy if you are unable to catch up on any lost sleep. Ice cold is often the preference, and from a can instead of a bottle.
A hangover typically lasts anywhere from 12 to 36 hours, although it could last in some cases for up to 72 hours. Exactly how long a hangover can last will depend on several factors, such as the person's tolerance of alcohol, how much they drank, when they stopped drinking, and what kind of alcohol was consumed.
One splash is enough to kill the vodka flavor without adding a ton of extra calories. Beer and wine are the worst when it comes to drinking – one drink is anywhere from 100-170 calories. Tequila, vodka, gin and whiskey are the best alcohols for weight loss, with only 60-70 calories for one drink.
All alcoholic drinks cause fertility problems if they are consumed excessively. Thus, vodka is not the 'black sheep' of alcohol for men, as many believe. Instead, it's the amount and frequency of any alcohol consumption that harms men's sperm count and fertility.
“People higher in general intelligence tend to drink more because they're not bothered by the strangeness of the alcohol experience,” said the evolutionary psychologist and professor at the University of Victoria.
In summary: There is no type of alcohol that is easier on your liver. The concentration of alcohol and volume consumed is the key differentiating factor. If you drink enough of any type of alcohol (even weak ones), it will be damaging to the liver.