The smell of alcohol can linger on your breath for 12 to 24 hours after your last drink, depending on your metabolism and the amount consumed. Interestingly, the "smell" isn't actually coming from the beverage in your mouth, but from the alcohol being processed in your lungs. As your liver breaks down alcohol, some of it is released through your breath, sweat, and urine as a byproduct called acetate, which has a distinct, "vinegary" or sweet chemical odor. Because the body metabolizes alcohol at a fixed rate of roughly one standard drink per hour, a night of heavy drinking means your body will still be "off-gassing" alcohol well into the next afternoon. Factors such as dehydration (which causes "dry mouth" and concentrates odors) and the type of alcohol consumed (darker spirits like whiskey tend to linger longer than vodka) also play a role. Using mouthwash or chewing gum only "masks" the surface odor temporarily; the smell will continue to return until your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) returns to zero and your body has fully oxidized the remaining toxins.