Alcohol (ethanol or ethyl alcohol) is the ingredient found in beer, wine and spirits that causes drunkenness.
Eating a big meal before going out and splurging on top-shelf liquors may help, but the best way to prevent mega morning-after malaise (besides not drinking in the first place) is to stay hydrated all night long.
Typical hangover symptoms — nausea, headache, sore muscles, diarrhea, and the short-lived pronouncement that you’ll never drink again — stem from a range of factors, including your body weight, gender, when and what you last ate (no, a jello shot doesn’t count), among other things.
Alcohol is also a diuretic, meaning it makes you pee more often than you usually would. All those trips to the bathroom strip H2O and electrolytes from your body, leaving you a sad, headachey pile of humanity the morning after a big night out.
Avoid spending the weekend in bed, eating eggs and drinking Pedialyte, by staying hydrated while you’re out on the town. Take a look at these tips to make your next “morning after” a good one.
An easy way to prevent dehydration is to keep the H2O flowing all night long. Alternating between an alcoholic beverage and a glass of water will likely reduce your chance of waking up with a hangover.
Dehydration can shrink your water-based brain tissue, creating painful pressure inside your skull (aka headaches).
Most importantly, be sure to pregame with water before leaving home. Drinking water after each boozy beverage will have little benefit if you start your night with an empty tank .
Choose a beverage that includes at least some water. Water down liquor by asking for it on the rocks instead of straight up. Or consider ordering your whiskey mixed with a splash of water — some experts say it brings out the alcohol’s deeper flavors.
Nope, we’re not talking about nachos and Buffalo wings. Instead of chowing down on sodium-filled bar snacks, refresh yourself with hydrating fruits and veggies.
Many liquor lovers like adding water to whiskey, but wine? Some sommeliers believe that adding a splash or two of water can improve the flavor of high-alcohol wines.
Another bonus: A healthy water-to-alcohol ratio can help keep those pearly whites clean and prevent dehydration.
With tomato juice, a celery stick as garnish, and plenty of ice, a Bloody Mary can actually help hydration more than hinder it. This is one reason it’s known as a hangover’s best friend.
Avoid commercial mixes by making your own at home, where you can control the amount of salt.
The hydrating beer had a lower alcohol content and was pumped up with electrolytes. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery has its own hydrating brew — but if it’s not on tap at your local bar, you can choose a lower-alcohol beer (just don’t compensate by drinking more of it).
Do you like piña coladas? Good news — the tropical vacation mainstay can help out with hydration, depending on the recipe.
If you’re working with coconut water, fresh fruit and herbs, and just a single shot of alcohol, all that ice can actually make blended drinks pretty hydrating.
On the other hand, sugar-filled drinks made from artificially flavored mixes could dry you out even more. So choose your blender bevs wisely.
It’s tea tea: Decaffeinated tea is a yummy and hydrating base for cocktails. Look for decaf green tea or herbal varieties like lemon, ginger, or peppermint to craft your own fancy cocktail.
Both iced and hot teas work. Ask a bartender about the tea trend or experiment with different combinations on your own.
We don’t mean adding a shot (or two or three) of Malibu. Choosing a cocktail made with coconut water (see piña colada tip above) can help with hydration.
Try using it as your next mixer — it might save you some pain the next morning.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate while you booze. A full stomach and good old H2O is the closest thing there is to a hangover prevention elixir .
Rum is one of the most popular liquors in the world. And it was a necessity as a trade item in days gone by. So, it has a long history — with the earliest known reference written by Marco Polo — and the first distillation carried out on Caribbean sugarcane plantations in the 17th century.
After 500 years rum is making an impressive comeback and predictions show that spiced and flavoured rum categories will become a leading drink for consumers in the next few years.
What is rum and how to drink rum like a pro — find out more here…
What is rum? Rum is defined as a type of brandy distilled from sugarcanes. It contains the natural flavour and oils of the sugarcane — with certain other added notes such as caramel, vanilla, nutmeg, and spice denoting good quality.
What is rum made of? This question can be answered simply — it’s made from sugar. This may be sugar from the cane or the by-products of cane sugar like black treacle and molasses. Different ages of rum can be blended to create a more consistent flavour.
What does rum taste like? The underlying profile of rum is sweet, toasted sugar. All rum is made from sugar but a white rum can be dry. Gold rum has caramel commonly added to it. And dark rum aged in oak adds other wood flavours that can liken the liquor to Scotch. Navy rum is very strong, and fruit flavoured rum is infused with natural juices. Spiced rum has natural herbs and spices added.
Rum is made using one of three methods:
Directly fermenting sugar cane juice
Creating a concentrated syrup from sugar cane juice and then fermenting
Processing the juice into molasses followed by fermenting
The most important step is properly harvesting the sugar with the cane cut close to the ground. Then while the sugar content is high it must be milled quickly, boiled, rendered down, and the juice squeezed out.
Distillation typically happens in pot stills. Depending on the type of rum it may go through the distillation process twice, raising the alcohol content. Ageing can be from a few weeks up to thirty years!
How to drink rum — just like whiskey with a splash of water or ice, and a slice of lime. Or simply drinks it neat in a small glass, warmed between your hands.
What to mix rum with may include:
Ice, lime, and cola
Apple juice
Coconut water
Ginger beer or ginger ale
This article is provided by BHAGINI GROUP OF HOTEL
The Difference Between Scotch And Whiskey?
Comparison Data
The main difference between Scotch and whiskey is geographic. And the ingredients. Scotch is only produced in Scotland and there are two main varieties — single malt and single grain.
Single malt Scotch whiskey is made at one distillery from water and malted barley. Single grain Scotch whiskey contains other whole grains from malted or unmalted cereals. Scotch must be aged for at least three years in oak containers — and distilled and bottled at a minimum of 40% alcohol.
Bourbon is produced in the USA and mainly made from corn mash which must be at least 51% corn. It’s aged in new, charred oak containers. For a product to be known as a straight bourbon it must be aged for at least two years. Bourbon whiskey is also distilled and bottled with a minimum of 40% alcohol.
Look at some more Scotch vs whiskey information here…
Scotch
Scotch must be processed legally in a single distillery in Scotland and fermented by adding only yeast — with no additional grains or substances
Scotch drinks tend to have a more intense smokiness
There are three blends of Scotch whiskey and these are:
Blended malt Scotch whiskey with two or more single malt whiskeys from different distilleries blended together
Blended grain Scotch whiskey where two or more single grain Scotch whiskeys from different distilleries are blended together
Blended Scotch whiskey being a blend of the two above with two or more single malt Scotch whiskeys are blended with one or more single grain Scotch whiskey
Whiskey
Whiskey uses apparatus to mix the liquids normally made from copper which prevents sulphur-based compounds making the drink unpleasant
Whiskey matured in American white oak has a mellow, fine aroma
Blended whiskey is a general mix of high-quality spirit whiskeys with less expensive spirits adding a difference of flavours and colours
Bourbon tends to have a sweeter taste profile
Whiskey types include Tennessee whiskey such as Jack Daniels, America rye whiskey, and Canadian whiskey. And there’s also Irish whiskey!
This article is provided by BHAGINI GROOPS OF RESTAURANT'S
It’s no secret that alcohol, whether it’s a pint of beer, a glass of wine or a dram of whisky, contains calories but has no nutritional value, hence the term ‘empty calories’. But are you aware of just how many calories your favourite tipple sets you back?
Currently there is no law in place requiring producers to publish calorie contents on alcohol, meaning the health implications of a trip to the pub or bottle of wine with dinner comes down to guesswork. This could be about to change, however, following the discovery of leaked government documents in April 2021, revealing that health chiefs want to force larger pub chains to disclose the calorie content on their beers, wines and spirits.
This comes after the Commission on Alcohol Harm highlighted in its 2021 report on calorie counts for alcohol that people who drink regularly get nearly 10 per cent of their daily calorie intake from alcohol, contribute to the ongoing obesity crisis.
Though it can be difficult to find out the exact calorific content of your favourite stout, it is possible to take an educated guess. The calorie content of alcoholic drinks is largely dependent on sugar/carbohydrate content and alcohol percentage. Alcohol has more sway as it contains more calories per gram than sugar (7g compared to 4g). So you may be surprised to hear that spirits, classically thought of as a more calorie-conscious choice than beer or cider, might contain equal or larger numbers of calories than lower-alcohol drinks. When in doubt, opt for the drink with a lower ABV (alcohol by volume).
It’s not just about the drink itself, either. The food we eat while drinking (or, of course, after a night of drinking) tends to be higher in fat and sugar, contributing to higher cholesterol, higher blood pressure, high blood sugar levels and weight gain.
Though cutting down on the number of alcoholic drinks you have throughout the week is the most effective way to control the number of ‘empty calories’ you consume, it's easier said than done - particularly now it's summer. So how to keep slim while enjoying a summer cocktail or two?
It helps to have an idea of which drinks are particularly high in calories, and which you can easily switch to a lower calorie option. Here are the rough calorie contents to some of our favourites to help inform your choice next time you raise a glass.
The calorie content of beer ranges depending on the type; Drinkaware estimates the average pint of beer (ABV 4%) contains 182 calories. A pint of higher-ABV beer such as ale or stout, however, can set you back 250 calories or more – the same as a Mars Bar.
Cider, due to the higher sugar content, is slightly higher in calories than beer, with an average of 215 calories in a 4.5% ABV pint.
Both red and white wine have similar nutritional profiles, despite popular belief that red wine is more calorific than white. A 175ml glass of wine (ABV 13%) contains around 160 calories – slightly fewer than a bag of Walkers Ready Salted crisps – with a large measurement (250ml) containing roughly 225 calories. A 175ml glass of wine with an ABV of 12%, by comparison, contains around 133 calories.
If you want to watch your calorie intake but still enjoy a glass, look for lower ABV wines, of which there is a growing number by quality producers.
Champagne, prosecco and other sparkling wines are slightly lower in calories than red or white wine. A 125ml glass of champagne contains around 89 calories, while prosecco contains around 86; the equivalent of a chocolate digestive biscuit.
Again, the calorie content of spirits differs based on the alcohol and sugar content. A single shot (25ml) of rum contains 61 calories, while a shot of cream liqueur contains around 80, and a shot of gin around 97.
One of the most calorific spirits is, surprisingly, vodka, which contains, on average, 110 calories. This, of course, is due to the alcohol content of vodka, which can range from 40% upward; the strongest vodka available to purchase in the UK is Balkan 175, which has an ABV of 88%.
If you think spirits are bad, then cocktails are the mother of calorific drinks. Most cocktails consist of one or more spirits, plus juices, sugar syrups and flavourings, with some totting up totals higher than a pint of stout.
A simple martini, made from gin or vodka, vermouth and ice, contains anything up from 120 calories. But a pornstar martini, a popular cocktail made from vodka, passion fruit liqueur, sugar syrup and sparkling wine, contains roughly 225 calories per drink. Even higher is a long island iced tea, a concoction of vodka, tequila, light rum, triple sec, gin and a splash of cola, which can contain upward of 280 calories, or the rough equivalent of a McDonald's cheeseburger.
To cut down on calories, keep your cocktail simple. The fewer alcoholic ingredients, the lower the calories (and the less severe your hangover).
A favourite among younger drinkers slurping on neon-coloured drinks on a night out, alcopops are both high in sugar and alcohol, making them a particularly high-calorie option. A 275ml bottle can contain anything between 170 calories and 230; a 330ml bottle of Smirnoff Ice contains roughly 228 calories, or two slices of buttered toast.
Is it safe to
drink alcohol after getting the Covid-19 vaccine? Let’s find out
A lot of people are wondering if drinking is permitted after getting the Covid-19 vaccine? Well, we have an answer for you!
There are some people who believe there’s no harm in drinking alcohol, after a few hours of getting a Covid-19 jab. In hindsight, others say drinking after three days post-vaccination is safe. To be honest, no one is sure what to do, and that’s why there is a cloud of confusion all around.
Well, worry not because this
read will make it all clear. We have an expert with us, who will answer all
your questions pertaining to alcohol and Covid-19 vaccine. So, let’s begin:
Q: Can I drink after getting Covid-19 vaccine?
Looks
like you love your glass of sherry! If you talk about world health agencies
like the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Public Health
England, or even the Health Ministry of India has not specified any guidelines
on drinking alcohol before and after getting vaccination.
“There
is no proof or data available, when it comes to alcohol interfering with
the efficacy of the vaccine. There are no studies or research to claim that
alcohol affects the formation of antibodies,” says Dr Pritam Moon,
consultant physician, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai.
He adds, “Alcohol doesn’t have a direct association with the production of antibodies that one gets from being vaccinated. Did you know? Antibodies will take around three weeks to form, after getting jabbed. Yet, the link between alcohol and vaccination is not clear. Alcohol may not reduce the effectiveness or interfere with the vaccination. But, your immune system can take a hit after drinking alcohol and you may also get dehydrated. Too much alcohol consumption may put you at the risk of immunosuppression and your body’s infection-fighting capacity will be reduced.”
