While you might love a vodka martini with a half-dozen oysters, or a bourbon with your steak, your drink of choice might be affecting your taste buds more than you realize.

According to several industry experts, your favorite alcoholic drink (and the amount you’re consuming) might be ruining the taste of your meal.

“Personally, I would avoid anything high-proof or any cocktail that is strictly liquor, such as a Manhattan, old-fashioned or martini,” Atlanta-based sommelier Billy Turner, who works at Kimpton Shane Hotel, told Huffpost.

“The more you drink, the more you dull your senses,” Alex Ring, the Michelin Guide Chicago 2023 sommelier award winner and wine director at Chicago’s Sepia and Proxi restaurants, also told the outlet.

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PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN

Liquor like vodka, whiskey, rum, bourbon, or scotch has such a high alcohol content (40 to 50% ABV) that it decreases your ability to fully taste your food.

“Because it blocks the proteins needed to create saliva in your mouth, hard liquor can dehydrate the cell walls of your palate,” restaurant operations manager and resort sommelier at Massanutten Resort in Virginia, Cody Bridges, added.

While wine is a better choice for enjoying during dinner, if you have a pre-dinner martini and decide to add on a glass of Cab with your entrée, the cocktail is not only still going to play a role in how you taste your food, but how you taste the vino too.

“This temporary numbing effect can reduce your ability to discern the intricate flavors and aromas in the wine you have later at dinner,” Sam Favata, the beverage director for Olamaie in Austin, Texas, said. “Strong spirits can alter your perception of acidity and sweetness in wine, leading to a less balanced tasting experience.”

Plus, the high ABV content can actually shrink your appetite, which makes it harder to eat your entire meal.

If your next inclination is to skip the strong cocktail for a sugary drink instead, that’s not entirely a solution.

“Strongly flavored cocktails, or those made with sweet cocktail mixers, can overwhelm your palate and make it difficult to appreciate the flavor of your meal later on,” vice president of winemaking at the company Foley Family Wines and a winemaker at Chateau St. Jean, Mari Coyle, added.

So what is the solution?

Favata says that if you start with cocktails, you should ease into the wine. Select “something light and refreshing,” she said. “A crisp white wine like a sauvignon blanc, or a light red like a pinot noir, can be gentle on the palate.”

Sparkling wines or rosés are another great options to make that transition from drinks to dinner.

Headshot of Megan Schaltegger

Megan Schaltegger is an NYC-based writer. She loves strong coffee, eating her way through the Manhattan food scene, and her dog, Murray. She promises not to talk about herself in third person IRL.


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