It’s last call for a long-standing tradition among drinkers in South Carolina. The only state to require that bars and restaurants serve liquor from mini-bottles is ending the practice Saturday, reports USA Today. The law has been in effect since 1973, but South Carolina voters amended their constitution last year to toss out the mini-bottle mandate, one of the last echoes of the Prohibition era, from 1920-33, when the federal government banned alcohol.
Before 1973, South Carolina did not allow liquor to be sold by the drink. People brought their own bottles into bars and restaurants and bought mixers and ice. The practice, however, prompted concern that patrons could knock back as much booze as they wanted, then hit the highways. Voters in 1972 approved a constitutional amendment to allow liquor by the drink in containers of 2 ounces or less, and the 1.7-ounce mini-bottles–like those served on airlines and in hotel mini-bars–became the standard.
Link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-12-29-sc-alcohol-law_x.htm