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Originally Posted by Armistead
What state was that in?
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Utah.
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Originally Posted by Penguin
From the movie SLC Punk I was under the assumption that your town was in a dry county, but the dancing guy definitely doesn't look sober - but like he's having fun!  |
Actually Utah used to be a dry state altogether. You could buy beer anywhere (bars, stores, 7-11) but real liquor had to be purchased at a state-run store. Private clubs could sell mixed drinks, which led to some funny stories. Our 'private clubs' were not so private, in that they weren't exclusive. Anyone could join for $25 per year, and the ones at the ski resorts had week-long memberships for $5, which included up to five guests. And even then, if a visitor said he didn't have a membership the bouncer was likely to point out some random member and say "That's Ed. If anyone asks, you're his guests."
Also certain restaurants would have a private liquor license. They couldn't bring the drink to your table, but would sell 'setups', bringing the booze and the other stuff to the table where you would mix it yourself. At the back of the restaurant would be a liquor cabinet, and on the door it would say "State Liquor Store #973".
Some people used to say that it was a monopoly by the private clubs, but in fact they hated it as much as anybody, since it kept a lot of potential customers away. I was told by a bouncer in Park City that he asked a black couple the usual opening "Do you have a membership", and they turned around and walked away without saying a word. He told me "I didn't even get a chance to say 'No, it's not what you think!'"
Altogether silly, and they finally overturned the law just this year, so now you can buy wine and whiskey at any bar. But still not in stores. The state will keep that monopoly for the time being.
[edit] A friend of mine lived in Pittsburgh for a couple of years, and he told me that a lot of the roads there were named for the first business on the road, and that he saw one street actually called "Joe's Tavern Road". We decided that could never work here. Can you imagine them allowing a "State Liquor Store #132 Road"?