The drinks that cause the worst hangovers

Vodka and other clear liquors like gin, tequila or saké, are less likely to cause a hangover than beer or red wine. Photo / Getty

'Tis the season to consume more alcohol than normal. But the throbbing head and nausea that follows is not so festive.

What are the experts drinking to avoid a hangover?

"The best drink to have would be vodka," Yoko Inoue, who studied nutrition and founded Melbourne's superfood café, Shokuiku, told Daily Mail Australia.

Vodka and other clear liquors like gin, tequila or saké, are less likely to cause a hangover, she said.

But it's best not to mix the drink with soft drink, because sugar can add to your sore head the next day.

Instead, opt for soda or fruit juice if you have to.

So what drink is most likely to hurt the next day?

"Probably beer would be the worst one, I have to say," Ms Inoue said.

And dark drinks tend to be worse, too.

"Red wine is sometimes worse than white wines," she said.

And you often end up paying a higher price after drinking cheap wines, it appears.

"Cheaper wines often have all sorts of rubbish in them and give terrible hangovers," Professor Roger Corder of Barts and the London School of Medicine told The Guardian.

Champagne is absorbed into the blood stream faster than other drinks because of the carbon dioxide making the sparkling bubble.

Beer is considered the worst for hangovers. Photo / 123RF

Boris Tabakoff, pharmacology professor at University of Colorado, told ABC News about two thirds of people get drunker faster from champagne or carbonated drinks.

Because of that, he says, the hangover is worse.

Darker liquors like whisky are also best avoided, Ms Inoue said.

To avoid a hangover, drinking water is the top tip.

"It's dehydrating for the body when you're consuming alcohol so you want to drink plenty of water," Ms Inoue told Daily Mail Australia.

She also recommended drinking coconut water before and after consuming alcohol - because it's hydrating, full of potassium and electrolytes.

And make sure you eat afterwards to absorb the alcohol, despite the nausea.

But it shouldn't be anything too greasy, high in sugar or fat.

"Anything that supports the liver would be amazing," Ms Inoue said.

The best foods for the liver are herbs like thistle and tumeric, as well as beetroot, broccoli, kale, berries, garlic and lemon.

Anything high in vitamin B, C, magnesium or potassium will help your head, too.

"During the festive season, many of us may encounter temptation, desire or peer pressure to drink more than you would usually do," she wrote on Instagram.

"The throbbing head, nausea and wasting a whole day the next day definitely is not fun."

The best drinks for avoiding hangovers

• Vodka, gin, tequila or saké - mixed with soda or fruit juice
• White wine
• Have lots of water while you're drinking

The worst drinks for hangovers

• Beer and lager
• Red wine
• Dark liquors
• Champagne