The Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES)(58) was used to assess subjective stimulation and sedation, and the Drug Effects Questionnaire (DEQ)(59), a 10cm visual analogue scale, was used to assess hedonic alcohol reward, like: “do you LIKE the effects you are feeling now?” (midpoint as neutral) and motivational reward, want more: “would you like MORE of what you consumed, right now?” The instructions asked for current mood state at each time point and did not reveal that alcohol was ingested (60). Saliva samples were provided by participants at each timepoint via a cotton Salivette® (Sarstedt AG & Company; Nümbrecht, Germany). Samples were stored at −20°C and later assayed for levels of the stress hormone cortisol by high sensitivity enzyme immunoassay at the University of Chicago CRC Core Laboratory. The inter- and intra-assay coefficients of variation at initial testing were 6.88% and 7.12%, respectively, and at re-examination were 6.60% and 7.99%, respectively. The main dependent analytic variables were: 1). stimulation and sedation: net change scores from the BAES; calculated by subtracting the pre-beverage rating from the 60 min post-beverage rating (peak BrAC)
