The Art of the Business Drink: How to Drink at Work

Just so we’re clear, this isn’t about clandestine drinking. This is not about that bottle you keep hidden in your drawer for when you have to stay late. What we’re talking about here is official, organized drinking. Not necessarily on the clock, but in regards to your career.

Here at Valet., we partake in occupational drinking from time to time. To test a drink recipe or to try out a new bottle that was sent to us. And while there aren’t any official guidelines in the handbook we provide new employees, there is an unspoken protocol that guides us. Because when alcohol is involved, one must be careful to use its powers for good—and not succumb to the dangers that can arise when a bottle of booze is brought out.

When you’re having cocktails with colleagues or hammering out a deal, you want to drink liquor—liquid courage. This is not the time to nurse a beer. You’re drinking to loosen up. You’re drinking to allow yourself to be forthright and bold. You should drink unapologetically and intently. Take full sips.

So what should you be drinking? Probably vodka. Scientific research has found that vodka not only is one of the most effective types of alcohol for minimizing stress, but it also causes the least risk of hangovers.

Brown liquors, on the other hand, contain much higher concentrations of congeners, byproducts of fermentation that lead to rougher mornings after. And wine is even worse. According to physician and scholar Jeffrey Morrison, MD, author of Cleanse Your Body, Clear Your Mind, they simply have too much sugar and yeast—which get you feeling hyper and lead to bad hangovers. “A vodka soda is probably the best drink to have in that situation,” he said. “That, or a simple shot of tequila.”