A bill that would permit ready-to-drink spirits to be sold alongside beer and wine at grocery stores and gas stations passed in the Alabama House on Tuesday in a divided vote.
Sponsored by Rep. Craig Lipscomb, R-Gadsden, House Bill 521 would create a new legal category for RTD spirits, which are premade cocktails usually sold in a can, and limits their alcohol by volume to a maximum of 7%.
For years, state lawmakers have made efforts to expand the availability of RTD spirits, though conflicts between beer and soft drink distributors had led every past effort to fail. This years, the bill’s supporters are hopeful for its success.
Lipscomb introduced a substitute to the bill which he said made only “minor adjustments,” such as the inclusion of a provision that mandated RTD spirit labels “must not appeal to minors.”
The substitute was adopted, as was the bill itself in a vote of 68-25. The bill now heads to the Senate.