Eli5 Why does the addition of sugar make alcohol seem much stronger

Question

Just had an old fashioned equaling what I normally drink straight in whiskey over the same time period; why do I feel so much more drunk?

In: 11

Answer 1

As Mary Poppins said, a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down. Adding sugar to your alcoholic drink masks the taste of the whiskey meaning you drank. Much drank it much quicker than you would have sipped the whiskey if you had it neat