The folks at VinePair went looking for the ideal alcoholic drink—based on at least some actual science—for a…”good night,” as it were, and it turns out that while there’s a tonne of social cues around different types of drinks depending on the circles you run in, good old fashioned red wine has the most actual evidence to support its claims of libido enhancement. They explain:

And while all alcohol in moderation helps a bit when it comes to sexual pleasure and desire, none has more benefits than red wine, both for males and females. For the ladies, red wine causes the sex drive to be even more pronounced than with other drinks, at least according to a group of Italian researchers who discovered that the compounds in the wine actually enhance levels of sexual desire in the fairer sex. What the researchers uncovered was that the red wine specifically increased blood flow to women’s erogenous areas, which in turn led to increased levels of desire. The researchers were quick to point out, however, that after more than a drink or two the other effects of alcohol began to take hold, which led to a less pleasurable experience. Moderation, it seems, is key.

The news is equally bright for gentlemen:

For men, not only does a drink or two loosen things up and increase blood flow to essential areas, but red wine also seems to increase levels of testosterone in the blood, a necessary hormone when it comes to male sexual arousal and “appetite.” Normally a male’s body rids itself of testosterone when an enzyme called UGT2B17 attaches specific molecules to testosterone, enabling the body to identify it and get rid of it through the urine. But when consuming a glass of red, a compound inside the wine called quercetin effectively blocks UGT2B17, preventing the body from excreting it, and thereby raising levels of testosterone in the blood. However, just as with women, a few too many drinks and all alcohol, including red wine, can have the reverse effect, lowering testosterone and decreasing the sex drive.

At the end of the day though, in both cases moderation is key. VinePair opens the piece by explaining that these effects are best measured after one or two drinks, when people are still clear-headed enough to be consensual, happy, and actually interested in what they’re doing, as opposed to after more than two or so drinks, when the other effects of alcohol begin to take hold—ones those of us who have woken up with hangovers (or worse) know all too well. Read the whole post at the link below.

The Best Alcohol for Great Sex? It’s Red Wine | VinePair