Cocktail purveyors statewide will soon have flavorful new options to choose from since Gov. Jerry Brown signed a senate bill today lifting the ban on infused alcoholic beverages.

Senate Bill 32, authored by state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, updates state law to allow the sale of alcohol infused with fruit, vegetables, herbs or spices.

This type of alcohol is often used in cocktails and is the product of a widespread artisanal practice, according to Leno’s office.

“In San Francisco and other cities where tourism is critical to the local economy, restaurant owners have been asked to stop serving infused cocktails in the name of an outdated law written decades ago,” Leno said in a statement.

“This Prohibition-era statute did nothing more than punish California restaurants and small businesses that are using culinary innovations to survive in this difficult economy,” he said.

The bill includes an urgency clause that allows the new law to take effect immediately.

Laura Dixon, Bay City News

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