Tag: Alcohol law

While most people associate beer, wine, and spirits with alcohol, the legal and practical definitions of what ABV is considered alcohol can be complex and vary significantly depending on your location. Globally, there is no single universal standard; instead, thresholds are set by governing bodies based on how much ethanol is present.

According to the National Institutes of Health, a single gram of alcohol contains approximately 7 calories, making it more energy-dense than protein or carbohydrates. Yet, unlike virtually every other packaged food or beverage in the grocery store, there are often no nutrition facts on beer or other alcoholic drinks. This absence of information is not an oversight, but rather a direct result of historical regulatory decisions that separated the oversight of alcohol from that of food products.

In 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to several companies, deeming the added caffeine in their alcoholic malt beverages an "unsafe food additive". This action has led many to question the legality of consuming both stimulants and depressants, wondering: is it illegal to have caffeine and alcohol in the same drink?

In 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deemed added caffeine in premixed alcoholic malt beverages an "unsafe food additive," leading to a widespread ban. This pivotal decision dramatically changed the landscape for products like the original Four Loko, making packaged alcoholic drinks with caffeine illegal.

While many brands of cocktail bitters can contain a high alcohol content, typically ranging from 35% to 45% ABV, they are not regulated as alcoholic beverages due to their highly concentrated nature and use as a flavoring agent. This is why the question, "are bitters legal to drink under 21?" has a surprisingly simple answer.

While hard seltzers have seen a massive surge in popularity since their commercial debut around 2013, many people are still unsure how they are officially classified. So, do seltzers count as liquor? The simple answer is no, because the two are fundamentally different in both production and definition.