The simplest way to avoid a hangover—apart from not drinking at all—is said to be avoiding mixing different types of booze, which can be undeniably tricky over Christmas.
Millions of Britons kickstart Christmas morning with a glass of Buck’s Fizz before moving on to wine, beers, cocktails, a glass of Baileys and then a whisky before bed, creating the perfect conditions for a Boxing Day write-off.
Research from DrinkWell found that almost two-thirds of UK drinkers increase their alcohol intake in December, with the average couple consuming the equivalent of 25,673 calories from alcohol alone over the festive period—and that’s before food is even factored in.
When it comes to risky drink combinations, wine and beer are especially renowned for being a toxic duo, with the potential to bring even the most liver-hardened drinkers to their knees even days after their final festive sip.
Their notoriety even inspired an ancient adage, ‘grape or grain, but never the twain’, warning drinkers through the centuries that if you want a reasonably clear head in the morning, stick to one or the other.
But while the rhyme is undeniably catchy—as is the modern take ‘beer before wine and you’ll feel fine’—it’s not based in scientific fact, as a group of plucky students proved in 2019.
In what must have been one of the most enjoyable experiments in the history of science, researchers from Witten/Herdecke University in Germany took 90 drinkers aged between 19 and 40 and split them into three groups.
Over the course of three separate tests, each group had to drink either wine before beer, beer before wine, or stick to one or the other.
Christmas is a very boozy affair for millions of Britons—and they pay the price the next day
They were asked to judge how drunk they were at the end of each drinking session and were kept under medical supervision overnight, before scoring their hangovers the next day.
The study concluded that changing the order of the drinks made no significant difference to the hangover scores—disproving the ancient wisdom that has been passed down by our ancestors—but they did note that women tend to have slightly worse hangovers than men.
Lead researcher Jöran Köchling said: ‘The only reliable way of predicting how miserable you’ll feel the next day is by how drunk you feel and whether you are sick.
‘We should all pay attention to these red flags when drinking.’
Adam Msetfi, Operations Director and Drinks Expert at The Cock, Hitchin, also shrugs off the old grape and grain warning.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘The real killer combination isn’t mixing drinks, it’s drinking fast and drinking too much.
‘That’s why Boxing Day feels less like a Bank Holiday and more like a medical episode.’
With that in mind, we asked the experts for their top tips to avoid a Boxing Day hangover (apart from the obvious choice… abstaining from alcohol altogether), and to help smash some of the best known hangover myths.
Red wine might be the secret Grinch
One expert says that red wine is the biggest culprit for a thick, thumping, head
There are countless women who will tell you that white wine (also affectionately known as ‘b**ch diesel in some circles) is the Devil’s juice, capable of ruining entire nights, days, friendships and even relationships.
But one of our experts claims that it’s darker, fruitier cousin is the real villain of the wine cellar.
‘As much as I love them, big heavy red wines are brutal.’ said Mr Msetfi, who has worked in the pub trade for decades.
The reason why red wine can wipe you out? One of the by-products of fermentation and distillation, a chemical substance called congeners, which play a huge role in hangovers and can be found in abundance in a large glass of Merlot, Malbec or Shiraz.
Dr Sally Adams, who researches the effects of alcohol at the University of Birmingham, previously told the Daily Mail that darker drinks in general contain more congeners, thus making these tipples more likely to give you a hangover.
She said: ‘Different drinks contain differing amounts of substances called “congeners” — these are added during the fermentation process to improve the taste, aroma and colour of a drink.
‘A small body of evidence suggests drinks with a higher congener content (e.g. dark spirits and red wine) may lead to greater hangover severity compared with drinks with less congeners (e.g. gin, vodka).’
Mr Msetfi also urges people to make sure to only imbibe decent booze—your head will thank you tomorrow.
‘I love alcohol—enthusiast is one word, others would say I drink too much, but the truth is it’s toxic,’ he said.
‘If you drink too much, your body reacts like it’s fighting an illness. So avoid rubbish and go for quality.
‘Drinking rum? A better-quality rum will treat you far better than a cheap one. And limit mixers, a huge part of a hangover is basically a sugar comedown.’
(Don’t) keep it sweet
Sugar might be the real cause of your hideous hangover, say our experts
Nutritionist Sal Hanvey, speaking as part of her partnership with DrinkWell, also warns that the sourest hangovers usually stem from sugar—and there’s a LOT of it in alcohol.
The NHS recommends that adults have no more than 30g of sugar per day. For context, there’s about 1.5g of sugar in a glass of red wine, up to 12g in a glass of Buck’s Fizz, 4g in a glass of Champagne and 9g in a serving of Irish cream such as Baileys.
An overload of sugar can intensify common hangover symptoms because of how dehydrated it leaves the body, causing headaches, fatigue and nausea.
She says: ‘When sugar is present, your body needs more water to metabolise it, exacerbating dehydration already caused by alcohol.
‘From dehydration to blood sugar spikes and slower alcohol metabolism, sugar has a significant role in how your body reacts to a night of drinking.
‘Wines with high sugar content can make people feel worse the next day due to a combination of factors that affect dehydration, metabolism, and blood sugar levels.’
Ms Hanvey also highlighted how alcohol has a huge effect on blood sugar fluctuations and which in turn can prevent our liver from clearing out the alcohol-related byproducts from our blood.
She said: ‘What’s worse, the sugar-alcohol combination can disrupt your liver’s ability to stabilize blood glucose levels, amplifying these effects. In addition, sugar may affect how long alcohol-related toxins remain in the body.
‘Alcohol is metabolized into acetaldehyde, a toxic compound that contributes to hangover symptoms such as nausea and headache.
Christmas cocktails can be cute and inventive… but they can be a sugar bomb in disguise
Be wary of hidden sugars in cocktails and mixed drinks
‘The presence of sugar can slow down alcohol metabolism, keeping acetaldehyde in your system longer.’
When thinking of boozy sugar bombs, festive cocktails will probably spring to mind, but there’s sugar in ‘every day’ drink combos, too.
Alishia Farrington, Nutritionist at The Nutrition Doll told the Daily Mail: ‘If you want to enjoy alcohol while being kinder to your gut, liver and energy levels, be wary of spirits and high-sugar mixers like coke, lemonade or cranberry juice.
‘This combination is the perfect storm. Alcohol already stresses the liver, and adding sugar spikes blood glucose, increases inflammation and worsens dehydration, hello “sugar and alcohol” hangover.
‘Cocktails are often the worst offenders high sugar, easy to drink fast and brutal on blood sugars.
‘Bubbly drinks like Prosecco are absorbed more quickly into the bloodstream, which can intensify their effects. Dark spirits such as whisky and rum contain more by-products from fermentation, giving your body extra work to do.’
So what does she recommend for avoiding a hangover for the annals come December 26?
‘My go-to order is vodka with soda water and a slice of lime,’ she says.
‘Simple, refreshing and far easier on blood sugars.
‘If I’m at home, I’ll add a dash of apple cider vinegar, which people find weird, but honestly tastes great and helps support digestion and blood sugar balance at the same time.’
Can drinks really curdle in your stomach?
The urban myths about Baileys curdling in your stomach are thankfully untrue
Forget grape and grain, the chances are that you’ve heard of an even scarier combo… grape and cream liqueur.
Everyone has heard of someone who knows someone who drank white wine and Baileys in quick succession and was left in agony as the different liquids curdled in their stomach—but thankfully it’s just an urban myth.
‘In reality, it’s not curdling, it’s irritation,’ Ms Farrington explains.
‘Alcohol can irritate the stomach lining, which can lead to bloating, nausea and reflux, particularly when sugary or creamy drinks are involved.’
Mr Msetfi agrees, telling the Daily Mail: ‘Alcohol doesn’t literally curdle in your stomach.
‘What happens is creamy, sugary drinks sit very heavy, especially after a big meal and lots of alcohol.
‘At some point your body doesn’t negotiate, it just pulls the alarm and evacuates.
‘I was recently introduced to Jameson and Baileys. Lovely combination. Didn’t make me sick at all.
‘But if I’d had it after a massive heavy meal and plenty more to drink, I absolutely would have been sick.’
Cheeky Baileys before bed? You might want to reconsider…
Baileys is undoubtedly moreish, but should be enjoyed an hour or two before bed
Speaking about Baileys, if it’s your traditional Christmas Day nightcap, you might want to reconsider this year—it could stop you from getting a good night’s sleep
Ann Garry, CEO and Director of Nutrition Training at Health Coaches Academy says that its potent combination of dairy, sugar and alcohol can start to wreak havoc once we’ve headed to bed.
‘I completely understand why people reach for Baileys, it feels like a cosy nightcap, especially at Christmas,’ she says.
‘The issue isn’t Baileys itself, it’s what it’s made of and when we tend to drink it.
‘It combines alcohol, sugar, fat and dairy, which is quite a lot for the body to process close to bedtime.
‘The sugar may cause a spike in blood glucose followed by a dip, which can trigger a stress response in the middle of the night.
‘The alcohol has the potential to reduce sleep quality, by disrupting REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement), and for some people the dairy and fat can slow digestion or cause reflux when they lie down.’
