I’ll drink to that! Booze that doesn’t lead to a hangover

IT sounds too good to be true – a drink that offers the buzz of alcohol without the hangover.

But a professor who was sacked from his government post for saying drink is more harmful than cannabis is trying to raise £7million to launch a chemical alternative to alcohol.

David Nutt is seeking investors for a product that he believes could be added to cocktails and sold in bars alongside normal drinks.

Called Alcarelle, it will be made of a chemical compound that is solid at room temperature but can be dissolved to form a drink.

The professor said he hoped to provide a feeling of intoxication without the harm.

He added: ‘I hunted through hundreds of chemicals to find something which would mimic the good effects of alcohol and target the same parts of the brain but eliminate the bad effects such as hangovers and aggression.’

Professor Nutt, who chaired the Home Office advisory council on the misuse of drugs, will not reveal the names of the chemicals in his invention.

But he says they may target the amygdala and pre-frontal cortex – regions of the brain involved in the ‘buzz’ created by alcohol.

The candidates for the drink have been narrowed down to three, with another chemical identified to potentially provide an ‘antidote’ to the effects.

In 2013, the professor claimed he had trialled the method on himself, saying: ‘I know the antidote works. I was in a state of intoxication and five minutes later I was giving a lecture.’

David Orren, chief executive of Alcarelle, said the company would seek permission from the European Food Safety Authority to sell the product within the next 12 months. It has not decided whether the antidote chemical would be sold at bars along with alcohol-replacement cocktails.

The product’s website states: ‘Everyone deserves to let their hair down from time to time.

‘As alcohol has become a critical part of human society it seems unfair that some people react differently and could be at much higher risk of a significant health hangover.

‘Alcarelle are using modern science to create an alternative adult beverage which is not metabolised in the same way as alcohol.

‘This adult beverage would not aim to replace alcohol but instead offer an additional option for drinkers to consider when socialising.

‘This means we can all enjoy a drink that promotes relaxation and conviviality without the red-faced side effects.’

Professor Nutt was dismissed from his government post in 2009 in a dispute over the criminal classification of cannabis.

He has also claimed that horse riding was more dangerous than taking ecstasy.

‘Relaxation and conviviality’