The Bar Journal

Infused Liquor May Flow Again

Good news for Bay Area mixologists and their thirsty followers: State Sen. Mark Leno, whose district includes San Francisco, has introduced a bill that would end California’s ban on infused alcoholic beverages.

The regulation comes from a statute written after the end of Prohibition, banning the “rectification” of distilled spirits — a rule that Leno called outdated in a statement.

―The law does nothing more than punish California restaurants and small businesses that are using culinary innovations to survive in this difficult economy,‖ he said.

As many as half of Bay Area bars and restaurants serve house- made infusions, from limoncello to sangria, the statement said. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Leno worked with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, or ABC, in drafting the bill, which has the support of that agency’s leader, Steve Hardy.

Many local watering-hole proprietors were taken by surprise when ABC earlier this year started issuing tickets and warnings to establishments that served infused drinks.