When open-pour bottles are banned

[Ktepi]

Sorry for the awkward phrasing, I'm not sure how to sum up my question. Wikitravel says this in an entry about Charleston:

Open-pour bottles have recently been legalized in bars and restaurants, but many establishments will continue to use mini-bottles. This is important to remember, since your drinks will have an entire mini-bottle of each liquor in the recipe. Be careful when ordering.

If I understand that right, when open-pour bottles were banned, minis had to be used, and used in their entirety when making a drink? Wouldn't that have an enormous effect on the drinks available to a bartender? Nevermind the Aviation, even the Sidecar and a properly made Margarita would be thrown off if a 1:1 ratio had to be used for its constituent liquors -- and while it would be easy enough to make a pitcher of Margaritas with miniatures, a pitcher of Sidecars seems unlikely.

Is this some archaic blue law, something that's still enforced in parts of the country, or am I entirely misunderstanding it?

[eje]

I believe South Carolina is/was the last state with this law on the books.

Only mini-bottles, and you must use the whole thing in the drink.

I'd hate to imagine a long island iced tea there.

6 oz of liquor?

Ouch.

edit - I first heard about this on a Daily Show Segment Samantha Bee did a couple years ago. Very funny, the segment was called "1/5 Amendment".

1/5 Amendment (Direct link to Comedy Central Media Player)

[Busboy]

  eje said:

I believe South Carolina is/was the last state with this law on the books.

Only mini-bottles, and you must use the whole thing in the drink.

I'd hate to imagine a long island iced tea there.

6 oz of liquor?

Ouch.

edit - I first heard about this on a Daily Show Segment Samantha Bee did a couple years ago.  Very funny, the segment was called "1/5 Amendment".

1/5 Amendment (Direct link to Comedy Central Media Player)

←

Long Island Iced Teas? Doea anyone actually old enough to drink legally drink them?

Scotch. As with so many other things, Scotch is the answer.

[markk]

  Busboy said:

Long Island Iced Teas? Doea anyone actually old enough to drink legally drink them?

←

I hear they're all the rage among sophisticated high school and college students in North Carolina.

[mbanu]

  Ktepi said:

Sorry for the awkward phrasing, I'm not sure how to sum up my question.  Wikitravel says this in an entry about Charleston:

Open-pour bottles have recently been legalized in bars and restaurants, but many establishments will continue to use mini-bottles. This is important to remember, since your drinks will have an entire mini-bottle of each liquor in the recipe. Be careful when ordering.

If I understand that right, when open-pour bottles were banned, minis had to be used, and used in their entirety when making a drink?  Wouldn't that have an enormous effect on the drinks available to a bartender?  Nevermind the Aviation, even the Sidecar and a properly made Margarita would be thrown off if a 1:1 ratio had to be used for its constituent liquors -- and while it would be easy enough to make a pitcher of Margaritas with miniatures, a pitcher of Sidecars seems unlikely.

Is this some archaic blue law, something that's still enforced in parts of the country, or am I entirely misunderstanding it?

←

Freepour is legal, but you need to purchase a license to do it. Many bars don't bother. Most people drink shots and highballs, which lend themselves to minibottles.

Edited January 13, 2007 by mbanu (log)