Clear Alcohol is better for u than Dark?

[Dave]

Perhaps. I'd never pollute a good Irish whiskey, high-end tequila or Grey Goose with anything other than perhaps a small amount of ice. It may be more of a cheap liquor/expensive liquor issue too.

I propose a double-blind experiment to determine this once and for all! Who's in?

 

[Pander Bear]

I can personally attest to the fact that premium liquors can create absolutely spectacular hangovers when consumed in the proper volume.

 

[Noodle]

I suspect that a bit of this "less hangover in clear liquor" business is frequency brown water is consumed neat, vs how often vodka and tequila come with sugar and salt in mixed drinks.

Any liquor can produce a fantastic hangover if overdone.

I drink clear liquors in sweet mixers so I disagree.

I'm still collecting field data though.

 

[paranoia_]

Belvedere vodka is the cleanest, least damaging type of alcohol you can get.

 

[grue]

oh yeah, and red wine is beneficial to your health, where as white is not.

Hmm, let me say some general things for this thread.

Light drinkers of wine, beer, and hard alcohol ALL statistically have a lowered risk of death, and improved cardiovascular health, lean body mass, performance on cognitive tests, brain mass, etc. relative to nondrinkers. By "light" I mean 1-2 drinks daily. This points to the fact that the alcohol itself is having beneficial effects, not just e.g. polyphenols in wine, although those are cool also. As you go above an average 3 drinks daily, the statistical health of alcohol users relative to nondrinkers falls very sharply.

Red wine is indeed the healthiest alcohol in most tests, followed by white wine, beers, then the grouping "hard alcohol". However, I haven't read the research which distinguishes light-colored from dark-colored liquors -- I do suspect that 1-2 drinks daily of a high-quality vodka will be superior as regards health to e.g. a low-quality whiskey:

"An experimental study revealed that 33% of test subjects who consumed 1.5 gms/kg of bourbon experienced hangover symptoms while only 3% of those who consumed the same volume of vodka experienced symptoms."

But, it's obvious that alcohol of any kind can produce hangover symptoms, at a high enough dose.