The Best Thirst Quenching Drink

When you're mouth feels like cotton and your throat like the Sahara desert, getting your hands on the single most thirst-quenching drink becomes the only thing that matters in life. At times this dire, everything else can wait. Though the obvious route might be to reach for a glass of cold water—or stick your head straight under the faucet—a new study suggests a different approach. Regular water isn't what you need.

The most thirst-quenching drink, according to science, is everyone's favorite: a glass of cold seltzer.  

That's right, seltzer fanatics, it's time to raise your seltzer freak flag, because a study published in the Public Library of Science journal just confirmed what you've probably known in your heart of hearts all along: There's nothing better than seltzer when you're thirsty.

RELATED   The Difference Between Seltzer & Tonic Water "

With 98 participants, the study determined how effective various beverages were at curing thirst by how much water the subjects reached for after trying a certain beverage. Temperature and carbonation were the two biggest factors that quenched thirst, over acidity or sweetness. So while you shouldn't reach for a glass of lukewarm flat water or a cold, sugary soda, a cold, purely bubbly water will do you right.

You knew there was a reason seltzer was a nonnegotiable part of your hangover routine.