Beneficial for safety, business

e-mail this story discuss this issue in our forums

will enhance safety but also boost the

bottom line of the tourist industry.

Getting rid of minibottles in South Carolina bars might not only contribute to public safety. It would provide a boost to the state's No. 1 industry — tourism.

Minibottles, used exclusively in South Carolina bars, cost more than the larger bottles used in bars throughout the rest of the nation. Allowing bartenders in this state to pour liquor from larger bottles would increase the bottom line of many tourism-related businesses.

Consumers, meanwhile, would likely see a reduction in the cost of drinks and an increase in the variety of alcoholic beverages available in bars and restaurants.

Drinks probably will taste better, with bartenders being able to mix liquor appropriately rather than dumping the entire contents of a minibottle into a glass, as currently mandated by law.

These benefits of allowing bartenders to use larger bottles — the so-called free-pour system — were outlined recently in a story by Associated Press reporter Emma Ritch. But the primary benefit will be less intoxicating mixed drinks in South Carolina.

South Carolina remains the only state in the nation that requires bartenders to use minibottles when making mixed drinks. That gives this Bible belt state the strongest mixed drinks in the nation.

Since bartenders are required to empty the full minibottle into a mixed drink, the beverage contains 1.7 ounces of liquor. (Drinks that require more than one liquor will be even more intoxicating.) In every other state in the nation, however, bartenders pour from larger bottles. Those drinks usually contain 1 ounce to 1.25 ounces of alcohol.

That means drinks here most often are significantly stronger than mixed drinks anywhere else in the nation. South Carolina also has the highest rate of drunken-driving fatalities in the nation, and it's not hard to detect a connection between minibottles and highway deaths.

After years of inaction, the House and Senate finally have approved separate bills to allow bartenders to use the free-pour system. Gov. Sanford commendably has signaled that he will sign the legislation. A conference committee is working out differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. It's up to that committee to ensure that a proposal is placed on the ballot this November for voters.

Lawmakers also should make sure the state doesn't lose any tax revenue in changing to the free-pour system. Minibottles certainly aren't the only reason for the high rate of drunken-driving deaths on South Carolina roads, but they're a contributing factor. Minibottles need to go.