Quote:
Originally Posted by SUBMAN1
The cheaper your alcohol, the worse your headache. General rule that. Probably because its less pure.
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Also, after year of careful experimentation I have found: The darker the spirit the worse the hangover. This is why Woods 100 navy rum (100% proof = 50% ABV)gives me a stinking hangover that feels like the world is ending, as it is almost black and tastes like you are drinking molasses, but in a good way; although putting a large dent in a bottle of clear butterscotch schnapps (only 35-40%) gives me almost no hangover.
The reason for this is:
This is due to chemicals called
congeners which include complex organic molecules such as polyphenols, other alcohols such as methanol, and histamine. They are produced along with ethanol during fermentation or the drinks ageing process. Congeners are believed to contribute to the intoxiating effect of drink, and the subsequent hangover. People who drink pure ethanol-based alcohols such as vodka have been shown to suffer fewer hangover symptoms than those who drink darker beverages such as whisky, brandy and red wine, all of which have a much higher congener content. The congener denounced as the main hangover culprit is methanol. Humans metabolise methanol in a similar way to ethanol but the end product is different. Ethanol generates acyetaldehyde, but when methanol is broken down a major product is formaldehyde, which is more toxic than acetaldehyde and can cause blindness or death in high concentrations. Ethanol inhibits the production of methanol, which may be why drinking 'hair of the dog' can alleviate hangover symptoms. Studies have found that the severities of different drinks' hangover symptoms decline in this order: brandy, red wine, rum, whisky, white wine, gin, vodka, pure ethanol.
Thank god for New Scientist to provide information.
Ps.
It has taken me over half an hour to type this and amend spelling errors due to being under the influence.
Time for another beer.