By now you know the truth about whether a post-workout beer will sabotage your gains. And you’re also aware that science shows you drink more alcohol on gym days. But when it comes to the world of spirits, questions about alcohol’s impact on your health still abound. To make sense of it all, we took a deep dive into our liquor cabinets to do some investigating.
Here, we present the ultimate clear liquor vs. dark liquor smackdown (plus, we got the final word on the whole ‘beer before liquor’ debate). Now you’ll know what to consider next time the bartender asks what you’re having.
Will Beer Before Liquor Really Make You Sicker?
You know the old saying: “Beer before liquor, never been sicker. Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear.” Well, it’s time for some myth busting. “People believe a lot about the supposed effects of different beverages,” says David J. Hanson, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Sociology of the State University of New York at Potsdam. “If you think a drink will make you react in a certain way, it very likely will.” In other words, you can mostly chalk up this rumor to the power of the mind, Hanson says. Another factor: People tend to down liquor but sip beer. “If anything, drinking liquor first might do more damage because of greater speed of drinking,” says Dr. Rohsenow.
The one grain of truth in this adage is that if you drink a lot of beer before indulging in a lot of liquor, you very well could get sick. “Your body absorbs alcohol from effervescent [bubbly] drinks more quickly,” says Dr. Hanson. “If you have a high-proof spirit after that, you might get a higher spike in blood alcohol content.” But again, it’s more about how much you’re drinking than the order you drink it in. If you drink enough, you’ll probably get ill either way.
Clear vs. Dark Liquor: Which Gives You a Worse Hangover?
You can’t fully blame your morning-after discomfort on the color of the spirits you had the night before, but evidence shows dark liquor may be more likely to result in a hangover. Take this 2009 study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, which examined the hangover-inducing potential of bourbon and vodka. “The hangover was more intense after getting drunk on bourbon as opposed to the same amount of vodka,” says study author Damaris J. Rohsenow, PhD, Professor and Associate Director of the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University.
“Your body absorbs alcohol from effervescent [bubbly] drinks more quickly.”
You can thank the congeners in spirits for your post-drinking pain. “Congeners are toxins such as acetone, histamines and tannins,” says Dr. Rohsenow. “They occur in alcoholic beverages, mostly as a result of the processes used in fermenting and aging, or are leached from the oak barrels.” Although they’re only slightly toxic in the small amounts found in booze, experts believe congeners are to blame for typical hangover symptoms.
Gin and vodka have the least congeners while bourbon and scotch have the most, says Dr. Rohsenow, and dark liquors have more than clear ones in general. But that doesn’t mean you can go to town on gin and tonics and come away unscathed. “We found that the biggest determinant of getting hung-over was the alcohol intoxication itself,” says Dr. Rohsenow. While alcohol tolerance varies from person to person, the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends no more than one drink per day for women and two for men.
Dark Alcohol vs. Clear Alcohol: Which Gives You a Worse Hangover? | Dr. Anish Sheth
FAQ
Why do they say not to mix clear and dark liquor?
What are the clear liquor sayings?
What is a famous quote about alcohol?
What do they say about dark liquor?
What is the difference between dark alcohol and clear alcohol?
Dark Alcohol While any type of alcohol can leave you feeling intoxicated, there are some differences in the effect dark versus clear alcohol can have on the body. The various shades come about due to the ingredients used to make them, as well as the fermentation process. And it’s this process that can set the two types of alcohols apart.
What is clear liquor?
“Clear liquor is liquor that has not been fermented,” Dr. Heskett says. “Higher quality clear liquors are filtered to remove any impurities. Impurities generally contribute to the taste of liquor, and this is why high quality clear liquor has little taste.” But it’s also why it tends to contain fewer allergens.
What is dark liquor?
The dark liquor category seemed a bit intimidating to be perfectly honest but over the last year, I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the category and spirits. It turns out, just like light liquor, it’s all about preference, palette, and balance.
Do darker alcohols have more side effects than clear?
Darker alcohols may have more side effects than clear, thanks to the organic compounds and impurities — also known as congeners, in the biz — that they pick up in the production process.