Remember that old Ogden Nash:

Candy is dandy
But liquor is quicker! ??????

Well, a short short in this morning's Toronto Globe and Mail cites research proving liquor is definitely quicker when mixed with a diet drink.

Rye and diet ginger ale?
Rum and diet Coke?
Vodka and diet cranberry?

Without a sugary mixer (and we want to avoid the calories in the mixer, and maybe are passing on the calorie-laden appetizers too) there's nothing to slow the absorption of the alcohol into the bloodstream.

But: that may push us over the legal limit for driving. One vodka with regular mixer results in average blood alcohol of .0777; but with diet beverage .091. Which is over .08, the legal limit for driving.

Hmmmm. I'm not much of a hard liquor person. But maybe even one gin with diet tonic in the summer after a golf game would be too many, if I'm driving home.

And of course the other issue: once I'm impaired the self-control is down . . . . and I'd be more inclined to order, say, those sweet potato fries. And maybe a basket of chicken wings?

It's beginning to look like the regular tonic is a better bet. Or maybe just the diet tonic without the gin?? Lots of lime wedges, though!