Proof provided: bubbles get you drunk faster
It’s finally been scientifically proven: champagne gets you drunk faster than an ordinary chardonnay. The research was conducted at two university drinks parties – very scientific. Why the bubbles hit faster and harder has not yet been established.
Have you been invited to a drinks party by Dr Fran Ridout? It’s probably a test. The researcher at the University of Surrey in Guildford threw a party with her research team for colleagues. Not just for the fun of it, but also to investigate whether sparkling wine, such as champagne and prosecco, gets you drunk faster than the same wine without fizz.
Whisked flat
Half of the partygoers were given two glasses of prosecco. The other half got the same wine, but the scientists had removed the fizz by whisking it vigorously with a whisk. The amount of alcohol was adjusted according to the partygoers’ height and weight. The following week, they had drinks again, but the groups of partygoers were switched: the group that had had to drink flat champagne was then handed a generous glass of bubbles. And what did they find? People who drank sparkling wine had a higher blood alcohol level than those who had to drink wine without fizz. The fizz drinkers also felt the effects of the alcohol more strongly: after the second glass, they had trouble solving simple puzzles.
From your stomach to your head
The researchers cannot fully explain why carbonation makes you drunk faster and more heavily. Normally, some of the alcohol from a drink enters your bloodstream through your stomach lining, while the rest passes through your intestines. But perhaps carbonation means more of it is absorbed through the stomach. It is not entirely clear yet.
The scientists do have a tip: from now on, drink Champagne and other sparkling wine from a coupe, not a flute. The carbonation dissipates more quickly in a coupe, so it gets you less drunk.
Read also:
- Is alcohol-free wine really wine? And does it taste good?
- Bubbles: how to serve them best
- Tips for the perfect wine glass
