Good news for fans of sangria, limoncello, herb-infused spirits, and other fruity, spice-y, liquory awesomeness: earlier today, Governor Brown signed a bill reversing an age-old ban on bars infusing liquor with their own fruits, herbs, and other flavorings.
Take a sec to wrap your head around the double-negative and you’ll see that the bill — SB 32, sponsored by State Senator Mark Leno — is a clear boon for drinkers and bars alike, both of whom have been stymied by the Prohibition-era state law. According to the Change.org petition recently circulated by a pair of SF bartenders, “The original law was intended to control the production of spirits being distilled outside of the parameters of the government (i.e. those not paying taxes on illegally distilled spirits, or rather, moonshine). As we move farther away from this time, the spirit of that law couldn’t be more irrelevant, while the letter of that law has proven incredibly problematic for a very large group of people — those hardworking and creative people in the bar and restaurant business.” The petition only got 635 onlien signatures, but no matter: the ban was lifted immediately after Brown signed the bill — which, as NBC LA points out, means you can go ahead and order your infused liquors right this instant if you’d like. We’ll drink to that.
PS: Rickhouse, in San Francisco’s financial district, is said to have a killer strawberry-infused Bourbon; JUST SAYIN’.