The Best (And Worst!) Cocktails to Drink if You Want to Avoid a Hangover
There’s undoubtedly a little magic in the air around the holiday season — despite the elevated stress, a focus on spending time with the ones you love the most and indulging in festive treats, makes it the most marvellous and cheerful time of year. But sometimes, mixin’ and minglin’ means you can knock back a few cocktails faster than you can say Kris Kringle. And while this can enhance the holiday spirit during the celebrations (Christmas carol karaoke, anyone?), waking up with a nasty hangover can seriously dampen your enjoyment the day following.
Sipping smart and choosing your boozy beverage wisely can majorly impact your hangover, though. naturopathic doctor Sarah White, who practices out of Bronte Wellness in Oakville, breaks it down for us, helping us wake up fresh(er) all season long. Below, the top ten festive alcoholic drinks, ranking from worst to best when it comes to avoiding a holiday hangover.
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How to avoid a hangover
Candy Cane Martini
Although tasty, (a cocktail that mimics the taste of candy? Um, hell yeah!) this pick ranks number one for hangover-inducing ingredients. “This tops my list of offenders for a few reasons,” shares Dr White. “First and foremost, let’s get this out of the way: metabolizing alcohol is a burden on your body. Alcohol is broken down by the liver, resulting in a toxic by-product called acetaldehyde,” explains Dr. White. This cocktail is a triple whammy, though: “The sugar in these types of drinks is also converted into acetaldehyde through the yeast that naturally occurs in your gut. Furthermore, the liqueurs used in this drink, like Baileys and Crème de Menthe, are full of dairy and aforementioned sugar, which are both highly inflammatory, and can worsen hangover symptoms as the liver is already burdened from processing the alcohol.” As if that wasn’t enough, “drinks that mix multiple kinds of alcohol are more likely to lead to a worse hangover.”
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