To me, this seems to be a case of old laws interacting with new sensibilities and social acceptance. At some point in the history of the state of Alabama, there must have been an issue with dishonest bartenders. That led to a law which has just been rethought by lawmakers after creating quite an uproar on the voice of social media.

Here are the basics of what the hub-bub is all about. The restauranteurs of Alabama wanted to sell margaritas, the tequila drink, in pitchers. You wouldn't think that would be a big deal but in "Sweet Home" Alabama it was.

There was a statute on the books that allowed beer to be sold in pitchers but not other mixed drinks such as margaritas. The reasoning behind the law was that the mixed concoctions could be "adulterated". In other words, the amount of alcohol in one serving from the pitcher might be higher or lower than another serving from that same pitcher. With beer, there is a consistency because, well, it's beer.

Obviously, someone in the Alabama legal community decided this was a big enough issue for them to raise a stink. So they did. Based on the law already on the books the state decided to ban the sale of margaritas in pitchers and then promised to send inspectors out to catch violators.

That's when social media and columnist Cameron Smith who writes really good stuff for Al.com got involved. I guess with a little stir of the situation from Cameron the margarita loving populace of Alabama woke up and started to do what people should do when elected officials make a bonehead move. They got angry, they got upset, they got involved, and they got their margaritas back in pitchers.

So over the next few weeks if you find yourself "wasting away" in Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, or in Mobile with a margarita poured from a pitcher in your hand raise a glass to Cameron Smith, a real American hero and probably a nice guy to enjoy a beverage and bull session with.

 

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