The Morning After: Exploring the Chemistry of a Hangover

How Acetaldehyde Shapes Aroma, Flavour, and Your Headache

Chances are, if you're reading this newsletter, you have, on occasion, overindulged in the delights of the Dionysian nectar, only to face the wrath of the morning after. In fact, if you are American, chances are you may have felt this quite recently following this year’s Thanksgiving festivities. It is a deeply unpleasant amalgamation of headaches, nausea, fatigue, and many other symptoms that, for thousands of years, has served as a reminder that too much of a good thing is usually detrimental.

Alcohol is, of course, the underlying culprit, despite efforts to lay the blame on any number of trivial alternatives. Some swear that mixing various types of alcohol is what actually makes them hungover. Others blame a specific type of alcohol, saying, for instance, that red wine makes you more hungover than white wine or that clear spirits don’t make you hungover at all. Oh, and let’s not forget sulphites! More on its role in this later on. It is, however, ultimately the amount of alcohol con…