COLUMBIA - South Carolina appeared ready to shed a mark of distinction Tuesday as incomplete results indicated voters would dismiss the army of minibottles that has served them faithfully for more than three decades.

If the referendum passes, the state will soon join all others, where drinks are poured from large bottles and patrons gripe about drinks too strong or too weak and a Cosmopolitan ordered in one bar can taste unlike one ordered next door.

With 1,668 of 2,063 precincts reporting, 59 percent of voters had said yes to ending the constitutional mandate that bartenders use bottles under two ounces to pour each drink sold. The Associated Press reported that the referendum would pass.

Several Rock Hill voters said Tuesday that concerns about the minibottle's potency -- it's more than a third greater than the standard shot -- convinced them it was time for the mini to go.

While some call minibottles quirky, "antiquated" was the word Howard Kellett of Rock Hill used to explain his vote.

"It's too strong of a drink," said Kellett, 46, a small-business owner who said he voted to get rid of minibottles because of the state's high alcohol-related highway-death rate.

If the referendum passes, minibottles wouldn't disappear at the stroke of midnight. The S.C. legislature, which convenes in January, must choose a new system for taxing liquor before local bars can start stocking bigger bottles.

At the Publick House in Columbia on Tuesday night, bartender Jason Bundrick said most customers he talked to said they voted against chucking the mini because they don't trust the S.C. legislature to enact the change without creating problems.

Professionally, he said, he'd like to switch to bigger bottles so he could make a greater variety of mixed drinks. But his concerns that lawmakers would make other changes to the liquor laws convinced him to vote no. Minibottles have some advantages, he added.

"It's real easy to keep track of the inventory," he said.

The state intended to encourage temperance when it first embraced the mini in 1973, ending a ban on bars that originated in the 19th century. But critics say the tiny bottles had the opposite effect, forcing bartenders to pour stiffer, pricier drinks than they'd like to.

That's because the 1.7-ounce mini carries a bigger kick than the 1.25-ounce shot typically poured from larger bottles in the other 49 states.

Residents heard little about the debate until a couple of weeks ago. Then, both friends and foes of the minibottle launched ad campaigns.

Critics, including Gov. Mark Sanford, blamed the minibottle for the state's high rate of alcohol-related highway deaths.

But some bars and minibottle suppliers argued the state would lose not only a unique part of its identity, but also a simple and efficient way to collect taxes. The minis are taxed at 25 cents each.