# Weird liquor license situation--only one kind of booze served **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 21, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168 "2005-11-21T23:46:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168/1 "2005-11-21T23:46:14Z")
A locally famous theme restaurant in my neighborhood has recently started offering cocktails. They’ve always served beer and wine, but these cocktails are a new thing. Among others, they offer a Spicy Bloody Mary, a Greyhound, and a Screwdriver. They do not proudly advertise this fact; instead, it’s printed in very small type on one of those little signs they put on the tables to advertise this or that. The actual announcement regarding cocktails is near the bottom beneath an unrelated advertisement. Then at the _very_ bottom, you read that all these cocktails are made with one kind of liquor. I don’t remember what that was, but it was Japanese, and over 90 proof. So how can it come to pass that they’re serving actual hard liquor, but only this one kind? Why are they so _sotto voce_ about it? Given the fact that this restaurant is not apt to become a favorite drinking establishment, wouldn’t it make more sense just to provide the standard ingredients such as gin and vodka? There is one thing that should be mentioned; however: it’s very close to the West L.A. VA facility, and there are no taverns or pubs anywhere in the immediate vicinity despite the fact that there would be more than ample foot traffic to support them. I think there’s a federal law about bars and VA facilities, but I don’t remember exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168/2 "2005-11-21T23:52:39Z")
There was a microbrewery that I used to go to that had a limited liquor license. They had a display of bottles that looked like hard liquor but were actually fancy liqueurs under a certain alcohol percent. They didn’t advertise them and kept them around for people that didn’t want beer at all. They had all these crazy recipes that simulated the real drinks with a twist. You say that it is high proof alcohol, but if that part is incorrect, it is probably something like that. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168/3 "2005-11-22T00:10:59Z")
Are you sure it wasn’t a Korean liquor called Soju? California liquor laws have a specific loophole for Soju. The Korean community convinced the powers than be that Soju can be served with only a beer and wine style license. It has been a trend recently to have Soju bars because the liquor license for them is much much cheapr about $200 instead of $15,000. I heard a story about this on NPR a few weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168/4 "2005-11-22T00:12:51Z")
Just a wild guess, but it could also be something as simple as the owner happened into a few cases of this odd Japanese liquor and is just getting rid of it. Hopefully it’s not [habu sake](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://ww2.pstripes.osd.mil/01/mag/sak722c.jpg&imgrefurl=http://ww2.pstripes.osd.mil/01/mag/sm072201c.html&h=207&w=300&sz=19&tbnid=rYoDkwwt8LMJ:&tbnh=76&tbnw=111&hl=en&start=2&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhabu%2Bsake%2B%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D) ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168/5 "2005-11-22T00:13:38Z")
It’s probably Sho-chu (So-Ju) which is Korean, or (less likely) Sake which is Japanese. There’s a place around here that had the same deal – Beer, Wine, and a whole slew of Cocktails based on So-Ju. Stuff like a So-Ju cosmopolitan, etc. It might be because Sake and So-Ju, I believe, are technically wines (rice wine?). ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168/6 "2005-11-22T00:13:59Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > Are you sure it wasn’t a Korean liquor called Soju? California liquor laws have a specific loophole for Soju. The Korean community convinced the powers than be that Soju can be served with only a beer and wine style license. It has been a trend recently to have Soju bars because the liquor license for them is much much cheapr about $200 instead of $15,000. I heard a story about this on NPR a few weeks ago. There is a Japanese liquor called Shochu, probably the same thing. It’s only about 40 proof, usually, which is probably why it fits under their beer/wine license. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168/7 "2005-11-22T00:14:40Z")
My mistake it is only $12K for a full license. [http://www.eastbayexpress.com/issues/2005-04-13/dining/sink.html](http://www.eastbayexpress.com/issues/2005-04-13/dining/sink.html) > [@](#): > > According to a legislative analysis of the bill, soju is “nearly flavorless and is of limited distribution, and is typically served with meals or in cultural ceremonies in Korean communities.” Proponents argued that the cost of a full liquor license – $12,000 for a new one, as opposed to $300 for a new beer and wine license – kept owners of small Korean restaurants from being able to serve soju to their customers. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168/8 "2005-11-22T00:16:14Z")
AFAIK, Sho-chu and So-Ju are the same thing. The Japanese just called it _Shochu_ just like they (usually) call sake _Nihonshu_ ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168/9 "2005-11-22T00:24:08Z")
> [@Roderick Femm](#): > > There is a Japanese liquor called Shochu, probably the same thing. It’s only about 40 proof, usually, which is probably why it fits under their beer/wine license. If you read the link from my post after yours you will find that Shochu is OK so long as it is labeled with the Korean name. > [@](#): > > In 1998 state Senator Richard Polanco, acting on behalf of the Korean Restaurant Owners Association, successfully championed a bill that allows bars and restaurants with a beer and wine license to sell imported Korean soju. (In a pissy side note undoubtedly written into the bill by its Korean-American backers, the law allows for the Japanese version of soju, shochu, to be sold the same way – as long as it is labeled with the Korean name.) As you point out it is not 90 proof like the OP so maybe I have the wrong liquor. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168/10 "2005-11-22T01:28:02Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > Are you sure it wasn’t a Korean liquor called Soju? California liquor laws have a specific loophole for Soju. The Korean community convinced the powers than be that Soju can be served with only a beer and wine style license. It has been a trend recently to have Soju bars because the liquor license for them is much much cheapr about $200 instead of $15,000. I heard a story about this on NPR a few weeks ago. It could have been soju, now that you mention it. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168/11 "2005-11-22T01:36:09Z")
Just to keep my post count going up. It was a really interesting report on the Radio. Other liquors of similar proof are not allowed. Lower alcohol Vodka’s, Gin and Rum cannot be sold with the cheap beer and wine license. Li ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168/12 "2005-11-22T01:36:47Z")
If I can ask a related question that doesn’t seem to merit its own thread: Can a restaurant without a full license use any liquor as a seasoning, for instance by splashing a thimbleful of actual rum over a rum cake, or brandy over vanilla ice cream? ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168/13 "2005-11-22T02:10:45Z")
> [@Jayrot](#): > > AFAIK, Sho-chu and So-Ju are the same thing. The Japanese just called it _Shochu_ just like they (usually) call sake _Nihonshu_ This, like most topics involving Korea and Japan, is controversial. Looking over Japanese web pages, most sites claim that it came to Japan from either China (via Korea) or Thailand in the 15th century. The two are certainly similar, but are usually made with different bases (rice for Soju, barley or sweet potatoes for Shochu). I think there’s a noticable difference in taste between the two. Japanese Shochu is often marketed as Soju in the US, but that’s just to take advantage of the favorable tax laws mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![Southessex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Southessex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southessex)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-liquor-license-situation-only-one-kind-of-booze-served/332168/14 "2005-11-22T05:17:58Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > If I can ask a related question that doesn’t seem to merit its own thread: > > Can a restaurant without a full license use any liquor as a seasoning, for instance by splashing a thimbleful of actual rum over a rum cake, or brandy over vanilla ice cream? Why not? You can only buy liquor at state-run ABC stores here in NC, but you can buy Emeril’s Vodka sauce at the grocery store on Sunday without being carded. I imagine the same would apply to restaurants (although I don’t think they could do so if it were a “dry” county; there are some counties in GA that don’t allow you to even _possess_ alcohol, much less buy it at a store).