A leading professor of medicine has published a book that dives into the fascinating science behind our vices, from caffeine to chocolate to alcohol.
In his book, The Longevity List, Merlin Thomas puts wives-tales to the test to determine fact vs. fiction. He explains that that the first glass of champagne poured out of any bottle will get the person who drinks it more drunk than those who receive the second, third and fourth (and so on) glasses poured from the same bottle, Mail Online reported.
Thomas concluded that the fizz is the culprit for the phenomenon because it speeds up the absorption of alcohol into our bloodstream.
While other drinks have fizz, champagne or sparkling wine is the most bubbly alcoholic drink of them all. With the pop of the cork, the carbon dioxide held in the champagne starts to escape partly through those tiny gas bubbles you see rising to the surface, but also partly just by wafting away from the surface of the drink. The fizz forces the intestines to absorb the alcohol at a faster rate. This is why Champagne gets you drunker than wine.
So why does the first glass get you drunker?
The first glass will always have more bubbles in it. Therefore, whoever drinks it will have a higher number of bubbles in their stomach than those they’re sharing the bottle with. The higher number of bubbles means an increased alcohol absorption rate.
But that’s not all. Temperature matters, too.
Chilled champagne has the most impact on your level of intoxication. A cold glass of bubbly will get you more drunk because the lowered temperature cause it to bubble less while it’s in the glass. Therefore, all of those extra bubbles will be released once the drink warms up after its already inside your body.
While warm champagne doesn’t sound so tempting, according to Thomas’ theory, it would help you prolong your night. Maybe just opting for glass number three — or wine — is the better way to go.
