Hangovers are a cruel reminder of bad decisions, but the worst ones often stem from drinks that seem harmless at the time. Some of the worst offenders are deceptively light, sugary, or bubbly, making them easy to sip on until it’s too late. Whether it’s a smooth cocktail or a fizzy glass of champagne, certain drinks are more likely to leave you cringing the next morning.
Here are 13 drinks you should avoid if you want to avoid waking up in regret.
Champagne – The Bubbly Trap
Champagne is often the go-to for celebrations, but it can quickly become a hangover nightmare. The carbonation in champagne speeds up alcohol absorption, making it hit your system faster than you think.
This means you could be feeling tipsy before you realize how much you’ve had. What seems like a light drink quickly turns into a harsh hangover, leaving you regretting every bubbly sip.
Long Island Iced Tea – A Cocktail Time Bomb
A Long Island Iced Tea might seem like a refreshing, fruity drink, but it’s actually a cocktail loaded with alcohol. This drink often combines five different spirits, which all add up quickly.
While the sweet taste hides the booze, you’re still consuming several standard drinks in one glass. By the time the hangover hits, you’ll be shocked by how much alcohol you actually consumed in what seemed like an innocent beverage.
Espresso Martinis – Energizing Your Hangover
Espresso martinis might make you feel alert and energized, but they’re a dangerous mix of caffeine and alcohol. The caffeine tricks your brain into feeling more awake, masking how drunk you really are.
As a result, you might drink more than you intend, pushing your alcohol intake higher. The next day, you’ll feel the full impact as your body struggles to recover from both the alcohol and the artificial alertness caffeine provided.
Frozen Margaritas – Sugar-Fueled Disasters
Frozen margaritas are deliciously sweet and often feel like a vacation in a glass, but they come with a hangover that isn’t worth the fun. The sugar masks the strong tequila, making it easier to drink more than you should.
Add in the oversized portions often served at restaurants, and it’s easy to overindulge. By the end of the night, the sugar, alcohol, and large servings combine into a brutal hangover that’s hard to shake the next day.
Dark Rum – A Smooth Path to Regret
Dark rum might seem like a smooth and easy drink, but it can leave you with a nasty hangover. Dark spirits, such as rum, contain more congeners, byproducts of fermentation that can make hangovers worse.
Rum is often mixed into sweet cocktails, which mask the alcohol’s strength and make it easier to sip. This combination of sugar and alcohol can lead to a deceptively strong drink and a painful morning after.
Bourbon – A Bitter Reminder
Bourbon has a well-earned reputation for causing severe hangovers, and research backs it up. As a dark spirit, bourbon contains more congeners, which are linked to more intense hangover symptoms.
Though it might seem like a refined choice for sipping, it’s one of the hardest liquors on your body the next morning. Bourbon’s harsh effects are a reminder that darker liquors are often worse for your hangover than lighter spirits.
Dark Whiskeys – Messing With Your Sleep and Stomach
Dark whiskeys, like scotch, share the congeners that make bourbon notorious, but they also disrupt your sleep. Alcohol affects your sleep cycle, and whiskey only exacerbates this, leaving you restless and dehydrated.
The next day, you’re not just facing a headache but also stomach irritation and fatigue. A night of dark whiskey means more than just a hangover; it leaves you feeling sluggish and unwell.
Brandy and Cognac – Sophistication That Will Haunt You
Brandy and cognac might be the picture of sophistication, but their smoothness hides a dark secret. These dark spirits are high in congeners, which are the main culprits behind severe hangovers.
They might go down easy, but the aftermath can be harsh. What feels like an elegant drink turns into a painful reminder of why dark spirits should be consumed in moderation, especially when dealing with hangover risks.
Red Wine – The Double Trouble Drink
Red wine is infamous for its hangover-inducing properties, and it’s not just the alcohol to blame. For some, the sulfites in red wine trigger severe headaches and discomfort.
The combination of alcohol and sulfites makes it one of the worst offenders for hangovers. Even if you aren’t sensitive to sulfites, red wine can still leave you feeling miserable the next morning due to its high alcohol content and complex composition.
Sangria – Turning Wine Into a Hangover Hazard
Sangria takes a simple glass of wine and turns it into a complicated cocktail of alcohol, sugar, and fruit. The fruit’s sweetness and sugar mask the alcohol, making it easier to overconsume without realizing it.
When mixed with extra liquor, it’s not long before you’ve had several standard drinks without even noticing. What started as a casual drink ends up as a hangover-inducing disaster the next day.
Imperial IPA – Beer on Steroids
Imperial IPAs might seem like a safe choice, but they’re stronger than regular beers and often lead to worse hangovers. These beers have a much higher alcohol content than regular beers, pushing 8% or more, but they’re often consumed like ordinary lagers.
Drinking them in large quantities means you’re consuming more alcohol than you intended. The strong alcohol combined with the full serving size makes imperial IPAs a risky choice for anyone hoping to avoid a painful hangover.
Diet Cocktails – Deceptively Stronger Than They Appear
Diet cocktails, such as vodka sodas made with diet mixers, seem like a healthier choice. However, diet sodas actually make alcohol absorb faster and hit harder than regular sodas.
The result is a higher blood alcohol concentration than you’d get with a sugary drink, even if you’re consuming the same amount of alcohol. What seems like a low-calorie choice turns out to be a deceptive path to a stronger, more punishing hangover.
Tequila Shots – Speed and Strength Combined
Tequila shots are notorious for their speed and strength, making them one of the worst drinks for hangovers. Taking shots means you’re downing alcohol rapidly, giving your body no time to adjust or process the alcohol.
Tequila’s high alcohol content makes it a strong drink even in small doses, and drinking it in shots only compounds the issue. The next morning, you’ll feel the effects of drinking too much too fast, with a hangover that leaves you wishing you had taken things slower.
Conclusion
Hangovers are rarely the result of the drinks you expect to cause trouble. The worst offenders often sneak up on you, deceptively light or sweet but packing a punch you won’t feel until the next morning.
Whether it’s champagne’s carbonation, sangria’s hidden alcohol, or tequila’s speed, these drinks can make a great night out turn into an even worse morning.
Now that you know which drinks to avoid, you can enjoy your next night out without the unpleasant aftermath. Avoid these 13 drinks to spare yourself the painful hangover that’s sure to follow.
