Sen. Kelly Hancock (R-Fort Worth) has introduced a bill that flirts with challenging the state's liquor stores monopoly on the "hard" stuff. The bill would allow "spirit coolers" to be sold along with beer and wine in grocery stores, which are sold seven days a week. Meaning hard liquor would be sold in Texas on a Sunday.
But aren't the grocery stores filled with "spirit coolers" like Truly's and ranch waters already?
Well, no. Truly, White Claw and the like — even those buckets of Fireball that have recently landed at grocery stores — are actually made with malt liquor.
This bill would allow ready-to-drink (RTDs) cocktails, or "spirit coolers," like Firestone & Robertson's TX Whiskey cans of whiskey and cola, which are made with real whiskey, to be sold alongside six-packs of Lone Star.
Senate Bill 1288 states that a "spirit cooler" is any alcoholic beverage that consists of "alcohol, spirits of wine, whiskey, rum, brandy, gin ... that has an alcoholic content of at least one-half of one percent but not more than 17 percent by volume." There's a companion bill in the house, HB2200.
For reference, a bottle of Jack Daniel's is 40% alcohol by volume. But cans of Crown Royal Whisky and Cola have a 7% ABV.
“As industries innovate and new products become staples in the marketplace, it only makes sense for us to take a look at ways government can reduce regulatory red tape,” Sen. Hancock said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to work on legislation that keeps free market principles at the core of Texas’ economic success.”
Paul Hardin is the president and CEO of the Texas Food and Fuel Association. He says it makes no sense that consumers can buy malt-based seltzers but not spirit-based canned cocktails with the same alcohol content.
Some social media headlines are referring to this bill as a lift on liquor sales on Sunday, which is a slight misinterpretation. It's only these "spirit coolers" at grocery and convenience stores. Liquor stores would remain closed on Sundays. This is the fluffy-kitten version of lifting the ban on selling liquor on Sundays.
No on SB1288. Minors should not sell liquor #txlege
— TPSA (@TXPackage) March 1, 2023
There is a raucous backlash, of course, namely from liquor stores via the Texas Package Stores Association. The group is invoking "what about the children" in their battle cry to keep hard booze in booze stores only. As they see it, children can work in grocery stores, and if someone buys Jack Daniel's Tennesse Honey Lemonade at 7% ABV, with far less alcohol than a bottle of red wine, and that child sees it or maybe passes it over a scanner, that could be very dangerous.
