Not the characteristic odor of a person under the influence of alcohol, but the odor that lingers the next day after the alcohol has been metabolized. It certainly doesn’t smell like alcohol—it smells more like a strong solvent. Is it caused by the metabolites of second-order alcohols? That’s the only plausible explanation I can think of. We had a discussion here a long time ago about the effects of drinking rubbing alcohol. I asked what its metabolites would be, and somebody suggested acetone would be the end product of isopropanol metabolism. He also suggested that since there are no enzymes that handle acetone, the only way to get rid of it is to wait until the kidneys filter it out. So is booze breath actually acetone?
It’s the smell of a dying liver - chemically, it’s dimethyl sulfide and mercaptans.
Cirrhosis and/or a condition called fetor hepaticus can cause that characteristic sweet/musty breath smell.