Thanks to a bill written by State Senator Mark Leno and christened with a big, loopy signature from Jerry Brown yesterday, local bartenders, mixologists and artisan liquor fans will no longer have to live in fear of having their infused liquors confiscated by the ABC due to an archaic, Prohibition-era law. The timing couldn't be better for grassroots organizers Josh Harris and Scott Baird, who also man the board of San Francisco's Cocktail Week, currently in full slosh.
Infusion fans will remember this whole controversy started nearly two years back when the ABC decided out of the blue to crack down on a Prohibition-era law banning the steeped, flavorful booze. At the time the Alcoholic Beverage Control board claimed enforcing the ban on house-infused sangrias and cucumber vodkas was not a high priority, but the Examiner reports at least a few bartenders have recently been dinged with $250 tickets for serving the stuff. Other bars report having to dump thousands of dollars of precious hooch.
Previously: Alcoholic Beverage Control Crackdown on Infusion
[SFEx]