Malta has slowly become the European entertainment hub many people have always dreamt it would be, but that can only mean one thing. With such a vivid nightlife, weekends tend to get quite heavy, and you can only imagine the horrible hangovers come Saturday and Sunday morning. Well, it turns out that not all alcohol is made equally.

Registered Dietitian and Certified Nutrition Support Clinician, Tory Tedrow, told Bustle that there are certain drinks which are guaranteed to land you in a bigger headache on the morning after. Seven drinks, to be exact. So in case you’re planning to go out drinking tonight, here are the seven drinks you shouldn’t go anywhere near. You’ve been warned.

1. Tropical Cocktails

Sure, they might sound enticing, but that’s part of the problem.

The concoction of “multiple alcohols whose flavours are masked by sweeteners” that are found in most cocktails make them very easy to suck down… but they also cause you to drink more.

Before you know it, you’re consuming double the alcohol you initially had your mind and heart set on, and we all know what that means come tomorrow morning.

2. Cheap Liquors

You know that popular Maltese saying, “l-ir?is g?ali”?

Yeah, precisely.

3. Dark Liquors

If you want to avoid a horrible hangover, Tedrow advises to “stick to lighter liquors like vodka”.

We never thought we’d be recommending vodka for a milder hangover, but there you have it.

4. Red Wine

Most people know this already, but it had to be said again.

“If you are in a wine mood, white wine is your best bet if you need to be a functioning human in the morning,” Tedrow said.

5. Champagne

This one is all about that carbon dioxide.

That’s what’s pumped into the champagne to cause the bubbles, but it apparently also causes the alcohol to be quickly absorbed into the blood stream. In fact, this happens at a faster rather than other drinks.

Translation: you get drunk quicker, and you also get a worse hangover.

6. Sugary Mixers

And yes, that includes local favourites like Coca Cola, Fanta… and Kinnie.

“”Mixers such as sodas or sweetened juices are loaded with sugars, which alone can make you feel bad,” Tedrow explained. “But the combination of alcohol and excess sugar can really make you feel terrible the next morning. Stick with low sugar mixers like soda water or a splash of lime juice to feel your best.”

7. Caffeinated Drinks

Yes; we’re talking about the local legend Vodka Red Bull drink here. We’re sorry.

“Vodka Red Bulls might help you stay awake, but they’re a dangerous duo,” food curator Fiorella DiCarlo said. “You have a depressant and a stimulant together in the body, and that often causes the drinker to drink a lot more and for longer.”

BONUS: Just drink less

Well, yes.

Even if these drinks cause a more severe hangover, of course alcohol is the true cause of it all. So just limit the amount of drinks you’re going to be consuming throughout the night.

But if you’re adamant on drinking, choosing the drinks does make a difference.

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David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).