(IrishTimes) - Beer after wine and you’ll feel fine, wine after beer and you’ll feel – or is it the other way around?

Nobody ever seems to remember how the saying goes – though that doesn’t stop people from trying. It’s one of those old adages that just won’t go away.

You’ll find versions of these wise words in various languages – German, Spanish and French – confusingly, however, they seem to differ on the crucial issue of which is the best order to drink beer and wine over an evening.

Some people swear that mixing drinks is a bad idea – some say it makes no odds. Let’s say we ignore factors such as the speed and volume of consumption, or whether you ate properly that day – could the order in which you drink something really have an effect on how bad your hangover is going to be?