The Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission ruled Friday that bars and restaurants can infuse drinks with vegetables, fruits, spices, and even cured meats. Members reached the decision without much discussion.
The ruling came after the owner of The Pump in Oklahoma City asked for an ABLE ruling following the arrest of his bar manager for having bacon strips inside a vodka bottle.
Under Oklahoma law, alcohol license holders can pour liquor and other items into a separate container, and then strain out the solid items before it goes into a customer's glass.
The Journal Record's Dale Denwalt reports ABLE's interpretation defines that as a mixed drink, which is allowed:
[The Pump's owner Ian] McDermid’s original filing at the ABLE Commission asked whether two other methods were legal: putting items into an alcohol bottle or putting a separately mixed drink back into its original bottle. Commission Executive Director Keith Burt said that in his opinion, those processes involve refilling a bottle, which is prohibited in state law. “I did not believe either of those two methods were lawful,” he said during the meeting Friday. The commission did not issue a ruling on those methods, however, because McDermid and attorney John Maisch later narrowed their request for a declaratory ruling to only ask about the one approved at the meeting.
Friday's ABLE ruling does not affect the criminal charges against The Pump's manager, who was cited for the state's prohibition on refilling a liquor bottle.
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