Turns Out There’s A Reason Why We Get Far More Drunk Than Intended

Nothing feels more grown up than having control over how much we drink. And nothing triggers Vietnam-style flashbacks of your youth more than stumbling home, kebab in hand and finding much hilarity in waking up your significant other. So, why can’t we just settle for one? Well, new research says that young people simply can’t judge what’s in our drinks. Kingston University London tested the tastebuds of college students by giving them three tonic drinks containing varying levels of vodka. They were then asked to rate how strong each one was. Only 28 per cent guessed correctly – and they weren’t necessarily the most experienced drinkers. The researchers then did a second study that added lemonade to the vodka drink – and thankfully people were better able to tell which drink was stronger. But, there was one catch: only supertasters could do this. The bad news is that supertasters – people who are extra sensitive to tastes – only account for a quarter of the population. The rest of us are just booze-addled wastemen, who will let “a quick half” turn into a five-pint regretathon. Around half of people, the study concludes, would struggle to tell if we were served a double vodka instead of the single we were expecting. So if you end up with twice as bad a hangover as usual – you only have your tastebuds to blame (and/or that mate hellbent on keeping you out late).