Miranda Flaig

Why are South Carolina's drinking laws so antiquated? You can't drink on Sundays! What century is this?

x

Right wing Republican Puritans

x

and no booze for ten year olds, who are old enough to carry a gun and shot somebody. where's the justice in that, I ask you. Old enough to die in their country and can't drink in their own country. for shame.

Miranda Flaig

I couldn't agree with you more.

the director

You can drink on Sunday in every state. As a matter of fact, you can drink on any given day. They repealed prohibition many years ago.

All states, and some counties (parishes in Louisiana) and cities, can regulate the time of consumption and/or sale of alcohol on a licensed premise. However, no one can regulate the consumption of alcohol on your own (or leased) property as long as you are the legal drinking age. Which is 21 in all states.

xxx

I'm sorry but you are wrong. South Carolina law prohibits the consumption of alcohol alone. No bars.. No sale of liquor....

XD

The Director is full of beans. Age 21 is state law, required by federal statue, and states can, and do regulate numerous aspects of drinking. And private property is no bar. Try serving a minor in your home sometime, and inform the cops. Ever heard of cops raiding keg parties in private backyards?

sc-guy

Where I live in SC, I can buy a drink and a bottle of wine (or a glass of wine) in restaurants on Sunday. Even buy wine by the bottle at the food store on Sunday.
Just passed a referendum to allow restaurants in the unincorporated part of the the town next to ours to serve wine on Sunday.
One throw back is that spirits must be served in mini bottles. Gin, vodka, whiskey, even cordials like Drambuie or Sambuca. And that's every day of the week, not just Sunday.
Intersting thing is that the minibottles, argued as controlling the flow of liquor to minimize drinking to excess, are larger than a shot. So you can get juiced faster on three drinks in SC than you can on three drinks in Georgia.

Mirand Flaig

The only reason I am asking is because I made reservations at a Charleston hotel that serves wine a cheese in the evening. Since I will be there on a Sunday, they told me that it won't be offered because of state law..

Patrick

Actually they've come a long way. I remember some 25 years or so ago when they first started selling liquor at all in restaurants. A friend ordered a martini and they brought him an "airline" bottle of gin and another one of vermouth. The only way they could sell the liquor at all was by that little bottle. Maybe according to the post above that still exists in some parts of South Carolina, but at least in Columbia they can now bring you a proper drink to the table!

And don't I remember ordering a Bloody Mary at a Sunday brunch in Columbia?

CK

Aren't those mini bottles crazy? Couldn't believe it when I went to MB last July. Drinks get really expensive if you add multiple ingredients. They do have a mini bottle for Long Island iced teas but they taste like bar liquor.

the director

To XD:

Were you not able to understand the second-to-the-last sentence I typed in? If you are of legal drinking age, you can consume any alcoholic beverage on your private property any day of the week and as long as that property is not licensed as a beverage retailer.

Again, prohibition was repealed.

BTW, the drinking age of 21 is a Federal mandate, not a state mandate. Any state can lower its drinking age below 21, however the federal government will withhold highway funds if it does. Louisiana tried that for a very brief period.

And if you'd like to know where I get my info from, I'm a beverage attorney for a nationwide liquor distributor.

Omar

Director, what other states have similar
laws?

xxx

The ownner of the B&B doesn't want to spring for the Sunday Liquor license. That is why you won't have wine with the cheese. You CAN drink on Sunday in Charleston.

Robert

Yes, you can drink in the cities and tourist areas in SC on Sunday. Previous poster is right, I think they do have to buy a Sunday liquor license, so not all places will be open.

I live in SC and actually like minibottles. There is a movement to get rid of them but I don't understand why? I always know exactly what I am getting when I order a drink - never get skimped or "over-liquored."