Light or dark spirits: which is better to drink?

To know which drink is considered of each type, we have to classify them according to color. Clear liquors are almost transparent, similar to water, while dark liquors are brown or yellowish.

Clear liqueurs:

• Vodka
• Geneva
• silver tequila
• Light or silver rum

dark liqueurs:

• Brandy
• Whiskey (including bourbon and scotch)
• Cognac
• golden tequila
• Dark or golden rum

How do you get the color of dark liquor?

All strong alcohol starts out clear. But the dark varieties are aged in wooden barrels . Over time, the color of the wood seeps into the drink and stains it.

Most dark alcohol also contains artificial caramel coloring to give it a richer hue. Liquor may contain a maximum of 2.5 percent food coloring.

In addition, it contains congeners . These are toxic byproducts created during the fermentation process. Congeners also contribute to the flavor and nuance of an alcoholic beverage. The longer the liquor is aged, the more congeners are created. Since the dark liquor has spent more time fermenting, it usually contains a higher amount of congeners than the light liquors. (The exception is tequila, which has high levels of congeners even when light in color.)

And this general rule applies to any type of alcoholic beverage, not just hard liquor. Red wine and dark beer tend to have more congeners than white wine and light beer.

However, there are several types of contaminants that a glass of whiskey can contain. According to one study, common congeners include:

• Acetone (a solvent used in nail polish remover and paint remover)
• Methanol (a poisonous substance that breaks down into formaldehyde and formic acid)
• Acetaldehyde (a potentially carcinogenic chemical that some people are particularly intolerant to)

In this study, researchers compared the effects of a night of drinking vodka versus bourbon, which contains 37 times the amount of congeners as vodka. Although both groups slept equally poorly and were less alert the following day, Wild Turkey drinkers reported significantly more intense hangover symptoms than Absolut drinkers.

That is, even though they were all measured with similar impairments in sleep and cognitive function, the bourbon drinkers ended up feeling worse subjectively. Because the congeners are toxic, our bodies do not tolerate them well. Drinking alcohol with high levels of congeners can cause side effects including headache, nausea, and dizziness.

Which has more antioxidants?

If we want to get more antioxidants, alcohol is not the answer. In fact, drinking alcohol has the opposite effect: it contributes to oxidative stress, creating toxins that can cause cell damage.

That said, dark liquor has a higher amount of antioxidants than its light-colored counterpart. One study found that dark alcohol, including brandy, whiskey, and cognac, contained antioxidants, while vodka did not.

It is suggested that this could be the result of antioxidants leaching into the liquor from the wooden barrels in which it is aged. Still, the antioxidant count is minimal: A serving of brandy has between 15 to 48 milligrams of antioxidant polyphenols, while a serving of black or green tea tops out at 225 milligrams.

So the harm from drinking outweighs the benefit of ingesting any antioxidants that alcohol may contain.

Which has more allergens?

You are more likely to have an allergic reaction to dark spirits . Clear spirits are more filtered, which could help reduce allergenic substances. Also, some people may be sensitive to dark alcohol food coloring.

Symptoms of alcohol allergies include nausea or cramps, rash, itching, and swelling after drinking. Keeping a food journal with a list of what we drink and how we feel afterwards can help us piece together whether or not we have sensitivity.

Beverages made with premium spirits also tend to be more distilled than well drinks and, as a result, may contain fewer allergens and congeners.

Which gives more hangover?

Although congeners can play a role in hangover symptoms, the main determinant of whether or not you’ll feel like a devil in the morning is how much you drink . The more we drink, the greater the chances of experiencing a hangover. Drinking can lead to mild dehydration, lack of sleep, irritation of the stomach lining, inflammation, and minor withdrawal.

If we drink on an empty stomach, the alcohol reaches the bloodstream faster than if we drink it with food, which can cause more hangovers. The speed at which we drink also matters. Drinking more slowly (aim for at most one drink per hour), and having a glass of water after each cocktail, can help prevent a hangover.

Are there any healthy?

Although there is no type of alcohol that is really good for your health, clear liquor generally contains fewer impurities and allergens and is less likely to cause hangovers. Unlike dark liquor, light alcohol contains few or no congeners. Since congeners can increase the severity of hangovers, that means you’re less likely to get a nasty headache the morning after drinking light liquor than if you’d been drinking dark liquor.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that drinking clear alcohol, such as gin or vodka, won’t cause a hangover the next morning. If we drink enough alcohol, that will happen regardless of the color of the drink. A good rule of thumb for liqueurs is that the lighter they are, the fewer substances they contain. Although light-colored drinks can lessen a hangover, drinking them is not a license to become immune.

Interestingly, light alcohol also contains fewer allergens than dark liquor. This is because they contain fewer impurities and typically have less histamine, a chemical created in the body that responds to allergies. That means drinking clear liquor is less likely to cause the immune system to react to an allergy trigger. As long as we drink responsibly and in moderation, there is no tangible benefit to drinking one type of alcohol over another.