Liquor? I Don't Even Know Her

Oh, Ohio. I hate your backwoods, Bible Belty booze laws.

I so dislike that our city doesn't have a decent liquor store. Yes, we have great wine stores aplenty (well, plenty might be pushing it), and you can even find some amazing microbrewed beer at several of those places, too.

But vodkaginbourbonrumtequila. That's what we're missing out in CBD/OtR.

Liquor laws are controlled at the state level. California allows the sale of liquor in its grocery stores. Connecticut allows independent package stores (the packie, as you'll hear people call it in New England). In Ohio, we imbibers can only buy booze in state-run stores.

Yes, there are some places like Kroger in Hyde Park where you can buy a limited selection of booze, but it can't hold a candle to what you'd find across the river at Party Source.

Ohio allows liquor sales in a few privately owned businesses, and instead manages the selection, distribution and wholesale of liquor - hence why good people like Molly Wellmann can't import certain bourbons for her businesses.

What's bad for Ohio is good for Kentucky, eh?

Ohio does not, however, allow for complete privatization of liquor sales, meaning someone just can't open shop and start selling Tanqueray on Court Street.

And that's a damn shame.

The little bodegas downtown do sell cheap wine, liqueurs with lower alcohol content (knock-off Bailey's Irish Cream and very very generic, less potent vodka e.g.), and your favorite malt beverage Four Loko, anyone?

But ix-nay on the ourbon-Bay.

And that makes my Kentucky-lovin' heart hurt just a little bit.

I like to keep a fairly well stocked bar at home. I love entertaining, and I want to make sure I have a few standard items to keep my guests happy.

And that means I have to jump through burning hoops and walk a tight rope with the Flying Wallendas just to track down a decent bottle of gin.

Doesn't every self respecting bon vivant keep a bottle of gin on hand?

The ones I know do, and when they come to visit my little abode they look longingly at their glasses of ice water, wishing instead they were refreshing G&Ts.

Cheers?


Kate's Random Musings by Kate the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.