Prosecco Gets You Drunk Faster Than A Shot

According to science, downing a classy glass of bubbly could actually be more reckless than just taking a shot. The bubbles in any carbonated beverage will cause you to get drunk quicker off of the same amount of alcohol. So as long as you're sipping one standard drink, the prosecco will give you a way quicker buzz than anything still.

Well, that explains your wild New Year's Eve. It wasn't your low alcohol tolerance — it was the bubbles. (Or maybe a little of both?)

In 2001, Dr. Fran Ridout threw a party. His test subjects — er, guests — were split into two groups. One group drank Champagne. The other drank flat Champagne. All guests were given an equal serving proportional to their weight. After five minutes, Ridout measured the intoxication levels of all 12 guests — rude maybe, but he found an interesting enough result. The group with the sparkling beverage had absorbed more alcohol in a shorter period of time than the group that drank the Champagne flat. And when the group was tested again after 40 minutes, the fizzy drink still proved more powerful.

Researchers at the University of Manchester confirmed in 2007 what Ridout originally studied in 2001.This group used vodka to test the same hypothesis — that bubbles get you drunker. This time, the researchers tested three groups. Group A drank a shot of vodka, group B drank vodka with water, and group C drank a vodka soda.

In 20 out of the 21 subjects tested, diluted vodka delivered a quicker buzz. In 14 of the 21 tested, the vodka soda got them drunk the fastest.

Unless these scientists were drunk, their research shows that anything carbonated will intoxicate a person more efficiently than drinking liquor straight.

If you do choose to get, as the kids say, "prosecco drunk," be warned: You're in for a sloshy night. But savor the first glass — scientifically speaking, no glass of bubbly tastes as great as the first!