My Trick to Drinking Wine, Without the Hangover
I love a good glass (or two) of wine at the end of the night but I certainly don't love the ensuing hangover I get after drinking too much. And as I've gotten older, I've learned that it doesn't take much for that pestering headache to surface the next day. But thankfully, I've figured out a solution where I can still enjoy a few glasses of wine each night, without the horrible next-day hangover. The trick? It's using small wineglasses.
It seems silly but it really works! The same way using smaller dishes works with portion control. With a small plate, you can really fill it up, which makes it look more satisfying and "filling," tricking your brain—and stomach—into also feeling satisfied and full with fewer food. The same goes for beverages.
The wineglasses I use hold 4 ounces—an ounce less than the recommended pour and probably about half the amount we typically tend to pour ourselves when using larger glasses. I fill that 4-ounce glass up to the brim and mindfully sip slowly, and when I see it's only half-full, my brain unconsciously tells me to sip even slower.
There's also research that shows the shape of a glass can influence intake. When using tall, slender glasses (like a highball glass) to make cocktails, you tend to pour less alcohol in the glass than if you were using a short, wide glass (like an Old-Fashioned glass). The same can be said when using a slender versus a wide wineglass.
Now, the story of how I came to this genius trick to using smaller glasses starts with all but one of my 20 wineglasses we got as a wedding gift shattering over the course of a year (I won't name names but we clearly got a bad batch). I was SO annoyed that I refused to buy more until I found ones I really loved. I ended up finding these particular 4-ounce glasses by happenstance when browsing an antique store, where all the wineglasses are that size or smaller. Before our portion sizes blew up to what they are today, this smaller 4-ounce size was probably the typical serving of wine.
Since then, I've filled a china cabinet full of beautiful vintage glasses that not only help me drink less wine with the same satisfaction factor, but also the fancy-feeling glasses make it feel more special. And while I am certainly tempted to use our larger glasses, the hangovers that happen when I do go for two normal-size glasses are rough. If you're looking to drink a little less, while still enjoying yourself, I highly recommend you try this trick out!