Alcohol
Trump's Tariffs To Tank Tequila
The owner of a famous cocktail bar in Dallas warns that tariffs on Mexican imports will mean higher menu prices and reduced availability of specialty tequila.
A Scary Government Report Implies That Moderate Drinking Is Manifestly Reckless
The focus on the health risks of alcohol consumption gives short shrift to the reasons people like to drink.
Be Skeptical of 'Beneficially Coercive' New Rules for Booze
A New York Times essay helps illustrate why the surgeon general's new report on alcohol and cancer leaves out crucial context and nuance.
Why We Are Still Arguing About the Health Effects of Moderate Drinking
The evidence is vast but open to interpretation because observational studies are inherently ambiguous.
Surgeon General Gins Up a Questionable Drinking Causes Cancer Scare
Stealth alcohol prohibition in the guise of an anti-cancer campaign.
Moderate Drinking Linked to Lower Overall Mortality Rate, Says National Academy of Sciences
So let's all enjoy a moderate toast to a Happy New Year!
Review: Illustrating Britain's Victorian Booze Restrictions
Temperance activists argued that "the people" should have a say in how many alcohol sellers could serve a given neighborhood.
Donate to Reason To Keep the New Prohibitionists at Bay
Give us your money to keep the government out of your cocktails, your cherries, your raw milk, your psychedelics, and other forms of fun.
The 2024 Gift Guide for Freedom Lovers
From art to vice to games and maybe a little magic, Reason's staff is here to help you with your gift giving.
Kentucky Seizes People's Booze, Auctions It Off To Fund Anti-Booze Group
Selling vintage spirits is better than pouring them down the drain, but the state shouldn't use the proceeds to fund a private corporation.
Hanover Police Selectively Enforce Underage Drinking Laws Against Dartmouth Students
Criminal prosecution is an inappropriate response to tragedy.
Beer Lobby Wants Restrictions and Higher Taxes on Intoxicating Hemp Products
The proposal brings to mind the classic "bootleggers and Baptists" theory in which both moralists and competitors oppose a substance.
Chicago Mayor Johnson's Budget Betrayal Would Raise Taxes on Small Businesses
A proposed alcohol tax hike will hit immigrant-owned liquor stores while city spending on nonessential projects remains high.
Abolish the Federal Alcohol Tax and Regulation System
The states already overregulate alcohol. There's no need for a federal layer of red tape.
Your Right To Booze Could Be Impacted No Matter Who Wins the Presidential Election
From tariffs to dietary guidelines, this election may bring the biggest federal changes to alcohol since Prohibition’s end.
The Sindex: Airfares Have Fallen Below Prepandemic Levels
The Reason Sindex tracks the price of vice: smoking, drinking, snacking, traveling, and more.
Napa's Wineries Battle Local Restrictions
In the heart of California Wine Country, rigid local rules are choking small businesses and stifling growth
A D.C. Cocktail Bar Takes on Taboos
"The more you tell people they can't have something, the more they want it."
Longtime Ban on Home Distilling May Finally End
Why is making spirits for personal use any of the government’s business in the first place?
New USDA Organic Rules Put Wine Importers in a Bind
Government incompetence strikes again, turning the wine industry upside down with red tape and confusion.
To Get Through the Election, Drink Chartreuse
A bitter election calls for a cocktail—and a lesson in the lunacy of price controls.
Mandatory ID Checks for Nonalcoholic Beer?
Some people really think nonalcoholic beer is a gateway to alcoholism.
Will Cutting the BAC Limit to .05 Really Make Our Roads Safer?
Utah’s experiment with stricter drunk driving laws has led to more fatalities, not fewer. The push for lower BAC limits is missing the real problem.
California To Bend Last-Call Law for Elite Clippers Fans
If you want to drink alcohol in California after 2 a.m., it helps to be the billionaire owner of the L.A. Clippers.
'Transparency' Mandate Would Burden Small Brewers and Distilleries
Government pre-approval for every label could crush craft breweries. And do you really want to force the Carthusian monks who make Green Chartreuse to reveal their ingredients?
The Secret Committee Behind America's Prohibition Comeback
Washington bureaucrats are rewriting the rules on drinking, and a hidden panel of unelected officials could be paving the way for Prohibition 2.0.
Grocery Store Booze Doesn't Hurt Mom-and-Pop Stores
But 11 states still forbid wine from being sold in grocery stores anyway.
The Government Is Choking Off Wineries
It seems anything the government touches dies—today, it’s thousands of acres of once-productive vineyards.
Biden's Big Government Solutions Dismiss Customer Welfare
Sen. Rand Paul writes that repealing the Robinson-Patman Act would help bust inflation.
Utah's Straw Test Crackdown
Bureaucratic overreach is stirring up unnecessary trouble for Utah bartenders.
Ruling in Favor of DIY Distillers Affirms Limits on Congressional Power
A federal judge rejected the government’s excuses for banning home production of liquor.
Court Holds Federal Ban on Home-Distilling Exceeds Congress' Enumerated Powers
A potentially important post-NFIB enumerated powers challenge.
Rekindle the Spirit of Independence by Legalizing Home Distilling
A modern legal battle challenges the federal ban on distilling alcohol at home—a favorite hobby of the Founding Fathers.
Andy Mills: Quitting The New York Times and Making The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling
The podcasting pioneer discusses capturing the real J.K. Rowling, quitting The New York Times, and his new show Reflector.
Will Banning Nonalcoholic Beer Save the Children?
No, but a Stanford psychologist says people under age 21 should be banned from buying some nonalcoholic drinks to protect kids from "drinking culture."
The Bikeriders Is a Nostalgic Vision of America's Postwar Counterculture
Jeff Nichols tells the tragic story of a carefree Midwest motorcycle gang that transforms into something uglier.
Oh God, What If Congress Bans Drinking on Airplanes?
New research and paternalistic legislators could threaten our last in-flight comfort.
Craft Distilleries Fight for Survival Amid Crushing Regulations
Once booming, the industry now faces closures and stifling market access due to outdated laws and burdensome middlemen.
Super Size Me Was Not Groundbreaking Journalism
Morgan Spurlock's death and legacy are a reminder that skepticism is a necessary part of any balanced diet.
Samuel Alito Was Foolish To Sell His Bud Light Stock
The conservative culture war boycott against Bud Light was actually a great time to buy stock in a successful company, even if you don't like Bud Light.