Originally Posted by jayeff

"Don?t mix the grape and the grain" is the old saying. There is some truth in it not being a good idea to switch drinks during a single session because most have some impurities in them and those from one type of drink don't always react well with those from another.

Red wines in particular contain an interesting pharmacopeia, so cheap red wine and distillations such as port and brandy (which concentrate the impurities) have a good potential for nasty hangovers and such treats as gout for those who imbibe too much too often.