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Irish whiskey, from the people who invented the stuff. Irish whiskey is mild and less prone to causing hangovers because it is triple distilled, usually by the single pot method. This means that the “heads” and “tails,” the first and last components of distillation, are removed three times. This makes for a milder and purer whiskey composed of middle distillate that has less of the toxic compounds responsible for the worst hangovers.

Okay but give me a brand name.

The two major Irish whiskey brands are Bushmills, produced in Northern Ireland and seen as Protestant, and Jameson, which is produced in County Cork -- my Irish grandfather's birthplace -- and credited as Catholic. Both brands are good, whether as general blends or as single malts.

Smaller, specialty makers like Red Breast, Tullamore DEW, Dead Rabbitt, Slane, and others are also good, if often pricey and with unique flavor profiles. I know of someone who, as a gift to a friend, brought a costly and hard to get specialty bottle of Red Breast to a small holiday gathering of pols with Irish heritage. By the end of the evening, the bottle was almost drained.

My advice is to start with standard blends from Bushmill's or Jameson and then sample other marks and blends if you want to explore.

Okay but give me a brand name.

Powers, if they have it. Bushmill and Jameson are okay but Powers is more flavorful. it used to be inexpensive until it caught on that it was a bargain.