Yes, there are the unwritten laws of drinking, such as “lick the salt before you take your shot of tequila, then bite the lime.” But there are also some weird and ridiculous laws you might not even realize exist. Since you’re dying to know, we’ve listed them for you below.
Texas: Only chug while seated
By law, you only can take three sips of beer if you’re standing up. However, everything is bigger in Texas, so one sip is equal to shot-gunning a beer or two.
Massachusetts: No happiness here
Happy hour does not exist in Massachusetts, meaning no restaurants or bars have a period of time during a day when they reduce the regular price of drinks. The reasons cited for happy hour bans generally come down to the idea that drink specials encourage “binge drinking,” but after going to a Sox game, I beg to differ.
Nebraska: Got soup?
In Nebraska, it’s illegal for bar owners to sell beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup. Sounds a bit crazy, right? Weirdly enough, it’s not common for cops to bust a bar and check the kitchen to see if the “squash bisque” is cooking.
Iowa: You can’t “run a tab” here
Are you the brave person who puts their card down to start a “tab” and continuously orders drinks for the whole gang throughout the night? This results in paying one lump sum once you’re ready to go home — aka, never. Let’s just say in Iowa, they don’t want ya going home at the end of the night.
Alaska: No giving alcoholic beverages to a moose
Would you give a moose Grey Goose? The answer should be no, unless you’re trying to face time behind bars and waste a $60 bottle to see a wild animal lose its mind.
Colorado: You can’t ride your horse while intoxicated
There’s no horsing around here, because in Colorado, a horse is consider a vehicle. So if you’re thinking about riding your pony after killing that 40, your answer should be ‘neigh.’
Oklahoma: Your beer will be served to you warm
In the great state of Oklahoma, any beer that’s over four percent alcohol, aka any beer “worth drinking,” has to be sold at room temperature. Sounds pretty disgusting, right? My recommendation is to get a nice bottle of chilled Prosecco and call it night.
Pennsylvania: You can buy wine from a vending machine
There should be no “wine-ing” going on in Pennsylvania with this weirdly amazing law, or more like privilege. This state’s supermarkets are home to this high-tech machine equipped with a Breathalyzer (to prove you’re not already drunk) and an ID scanner. So if you past the test, get drinking!
As you can see, America has no shortage of odd and crazy drinking laws. So if you take a trip out West this summer, make sure you go horseback riding sober, or if you end up in Oklahoma, you’re guaranteed a nasty warm brewski.