The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is trying to kill your buzz, folks. Again. The most recent example is their cracking down on bars serving infused alcohols. Demian Bulwa of the SF Chronicle reports that on a recent Friday night, the AB "entered [Bourbon and Branch] and warned bartenders they were breaking California law by altering alcohol - infusing it with the flavors of fruits, vegetables and spices."

Allowing the infused booze to sit and age on a shelf, Bulwa goes on to point, could cause rectification, which is illegal in the U.S. sans a special license. (Everclear, for example, is produced by rectification.) While adding fruit, cucumbers, hydrangeas, cat whiskers or whatever unique items mixologists are cramming in their shakers these days, allowing them to stew isn't cool with the ABC. This means that beloved sangria, which needs to marinate with a bushel of fruity goodness before its ready to serve, could come under fire.

Pft.

Anyway, the ABC does not plan to cite Bourban & Branch, or the three other bars they tagged, and say that agency thugs "stopping infusions is not a new - or high - priority."