(Columbia-AP) June 5, 2003 - The House gave key approval Wednesday to a bill that would allow bars and restaurants to sell free-pour drinks as well as minibottles.

The bill does not do away with minibottles, but allows alcoholic drinks to be made with free pour methods. South Carolina is the only state that requires bars to use the 1.7 ounce bottles. Columbia Representative Bill Cotty says he thinks the change would be good for business.

Minibottle supporters say the state would lose revenue if it switched to free pour. This bill adds a five percent cocktail tax on drinks to ensure no revenue is lost.

Supporters also say drinks made from them seem to have more alcohol. Ounce-per-ounce of liquor, they say two drinks poured from a minibottle are about the same as having three free-poured.

University of South Carolina Professor John Antun says minibottles give people too much to drink. He told the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee minibottles are 1.75 ounces and the average person can handle only about an ounce.

Columbia bartender Ricky Flynn says he pours 200 to 300 minibottles each night at Baileys on Harbison Boulevard. He hopes to pour his last someday, "If you just look at recycling, we can't recycle these. In the garbage can."

Jillian's assistant manager Myron Chinn says getting rid of them makes better business sense, "Any bar serving out of free pour bottles, liquor costs are 20%, with minibottles, 29%. And there are also a lot of drinks we can't even make with minibottles."

A separate bill calls for a referendum in November 2004. The change could not be implemented before July 2005.

updated 8:37am by Chris Rees