I am unsure where to post this question as I was having a difficult time finding where it should go. I apologize if this is the wrong spot. If necessary, delete or resend it.

As a writer, I am always going to be full of questions concerning the things I write. In this particular instance, I have been on the endless search for a wine that:

1. Tastes good.
2. Has a potent amount of alcohol.
3. A bottle of it will have the effects I'm looking for, if possible.

In the manuscript (to-be book already finished), a 12-year-old girl (a very small child for her size. I don't remember how much she weighed, but she's 4'11", modestly thin) is offered for a drink of wine. She is extremely exhausted and the person she is with is very influential. So, she agrees. He gives her the wine, and she ends up finding the taste good, and suddenly engulfs the entire bottle. When she's done, she doesn't realize what she's done to herself, but finds out very shortly. She simply passes out. (The hangover the poor child has is not in the story.)

I have been told that different ethnic backgrounds have different tolerances to alcohol. I am yet to verify that Native Americans have a very low tolerance to the effects of alcohol, while Germans are on the other end of the scale, able to intake more alcohol with greater resistance to the effects. (However, I'm slightly skeptical at this claim.) It would be easy to give the girl Native American background (I think. I have another question about that, but it doesn't belong here).

The first choice I used was Smirnoff Ice. I don't remember why I didn't use it (I think the alcohol it contained wasn't enough). For some reason, I once had Smirnoff Ice mixed with 20% Sprite. Then I decided to use a 50% Vodka mix with 50% Sprite mix. Again, I don't remember why. The reason I'm reconsidering this one is because that seems like it would burn the throat to drink. I need something easy to drink (if possible), though I'm not exactly wanting milk (fiz is good). I've been toying around with the mixture percentages until I finally gave up (again) and moved on.

I'm not a drinker, and I don't know anyone who drinks heavily (and the drinkers I do know have verified that the Vodka/Sprite mix was a good choice). It is very important that, when answering my question, the drinker is a very small preteen.

I won't be answering any questions concerning why she's drinking, or how she ended up in that scenario. You'll have to pick up the book when its published if you want to find out. ;)

If a small 12 y/o girl drank an entire bottle of wine within a short period, she would probably suffer alcohol poisoning and possibly death.

I'm of German heritage. We generally hold our liquor well--but tend not to overdo, having been taught from young childhood a respect for alcohol.

I would say ethinic background is a myth, it has to do with body weight and size more than anything. Now the person who drinks every day may not show its effrect as fast as a first time drinker.

Thus for example in a culture where children drink at the table at a early age, they may drink more than children that have never drank and show less effect, but the Blood levels are still the same because it deals with absorption of and percent to body weight.

Yes. I don't think the difference between cultures is genetic, but instead it is cultural. Russians would be the nationality I would point out as having probably the best tolerance to alcohol. They drink vodka socially and it's a big part of their culture. They can drink a lot because they do drink a lot.

The other things that Chuck brings up also have an effect, physical size is important because the effects of alcohol have more to do with the alcohol concentration in the blood, and large people may well have more blood to dilute it. The other thing that makes a big difference is food intake. If I drink on an empty stomach I can hardly handle a couple of pints befoe throwing up.

I will have to agree with Wondergirl here on this. The 12 year old would have suffered alcohol poisoning had she consumed (not engulfed) an entire bottle of wine.

The heritage question is not a myth. Native Americans DO indeed have a very low tolerance to liquor. If the child in your story is of Native American heritage she most definitely would have suffered alcohol poisoning. I know many Native American adults who cannot even tolerate one beer much less an entire bottle of wine.

Smirnoff Ice would be a good choice as it tastes very much like lemonade and does not burn the throat as vodka would.

I am an ex-drinker and ex bartender and have drank my share... I usually drank to

Get drunk... Just got tired of tongue smelling like skunky beer soaked sponge...

I drank beer or rum and coke but whiskey and coke turns my stomach...

Don't like any drinks with 7up but the best mixed drink has SQUIRT

Whiskey--Sour love it *** Vodka--Sour love it *** SQUIRT makes a great mixer

Oh, I know that young children in cultures (such as those found in Europe) are generally taught early on about drinking and tend to be more responsible about it. I definitely knew that body size and weight was also an important factor. Genetics was questionable and was what I was asking.


If a small 12 y/o girl drank an entire bottle of wine within a short period of time, she would probably suffer alcohol poisoning and possibly death.
This was my original concern. I've listed the different beverages that I have thought of, but I was afraid there wasn't enough alcohol to do much of anything except perhaps drowsiness. Smirnoff Ice already has a low content of alcohol, and by mixing it with Sprite waters it down even more.

I know that Vodka might as well be nearly straight-up alcohol (I was told 50/50?), but Smirnoff Ice has 8% alcohol (right?). I also knew it tasted good (my sister, who's definitely not a sucker for alcohol, was offered the last little gulp, and she liked it). I have been told by drinkers that it is nigh impossible to get drunk off Smirnoff Ice without consuming ungodly amounts of it pumped right into the bloodstream. I'm not sure what 8% could do to the child, but she did drink the whole bottle.

If you all think it is too much, I can easily water it down with Sprite. If you think that my 30% Sprite mixture is too little, I can take out the Sprite completely. If you really think Smirnoff Ice isn't potent enough, think of something else.

I've tasted a few wines, but none were suitable to what I needed.

@ biggsie,
You might like those drinks... but do you think a timid 12-year-old girl would?

Believe me a timid 12 year old girl will like Smirnoff Ice. I know from experience as I let my daughter taste some on New Year's Eve. She's 13 now, and looks forward to a sip on New Years Eve.

There is enough alcohol in that to get a young girl tipsy. Also, as I mentioned above, there is a difference in Native Americans/Eskimo's. Their bodies cannot turn the alcohol to sugar so they tend to get drunk even on one drink.

@ J_9
I see. I know my sister really liked the drink and wants some for her 21st birthday.

So, are you saying that I can drop my Sprite mix?

Back to another question of the same topic: what effects would undergo her (rather poor!) body? She wouldn't be vexed to death, would she?

It's important every detail in a book is correct.

P.S. I really like your avatar. I can't help but watch it for 3 runs before I continue doing what I'm doing.

I'd drop the sprite mix, as the Smirnoff tastes more like lemonade and is more believeable. However, if she is hiding her drinking then vodka is not as noticeable on the breath.

Vexed to death? Depends on the amount she drank. Remember alcohol poisoning is a possibility.

The symptoms would be the same as an adult, but the child has to drink less.

What about Rosa Regal? It's a mild champagne/dessert wine that tastes like strawberries and roses with chocolate undertones. A smaller bottle of it (about 500ml, I think) would have the desired effects, without actual toxicity. Plus, it's yummy and versitile for most literary settings.

I would like to add that the different effects of alcohol in different ethnicities is not a myth it is due the presence or absence of one or more copies of alcohol dehydrogenise (ADH) gene. Also different isozymes (versions) of the gene can result in different tolerances to alcohols immediate effects.

If you have none you suffer terrible under the influence of alcohol ( a common predicament of asain people) you suffer a build up of acetaldehyde which causes all many of nasty side effects such as red flushes, nausea and dizziness. The drugs given to alcoholics to prevent them drinking inhibit these enzymes antabuse (disulfiram).

I have read one theory that it is thought that these genes were positively selected among northern Europeans as beers provided a safe drink that would lack bacteria found in water. But I can't remember where to check it!

----

To the original question I definitely think a bottle of wine would cause a 12 year old child to suffer from alcohol poisoning. Also children don't tend to like wine - I hated it but love it now.

Maybe bucks fizz - champagne and orange juice? The bubbles go to you head! I think an alco-pop is the best bet, you can buy big bottles that would work for the story.

I'll agree with templelane. We see the issue here with the native canadians ("indians') who have chronic problems with alcoholism.

Genetic Influences on Alcohol Drinking and Alcoholism (http://www.indiana.edu/~rcapub/v17n3/p18.html)
""We have identified two genes that protect against heavy drinking, and these are particularly prevalent among Asians," Li says. "We have shown that Native Americans, who have a high rate of alcoholism, do not have these protective genes. The one that is particularly effective is a mutation of the gene for the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase, which plays a major role in metabolizing alcohol. The mutation is found very frequently in Chinese and Japanese populations but is less common among other Asian groups, including Koreans, the Malayo-Polynesian group, and others native to the Pacific Rim. "We've also looked at Euro-Americans, Native Americans, and Eskimos, and they don't have that gene mutation," says Li. Thus, incidentally, the study of genetic mutations and alcoholism links native North-American populations to central Asian ancestors, not to those from China and Japan."