Bar in NJ sold rubbing alcohol and caramel food coloring as scotch

[cali]

In one case, a New Jersey bar allegedly mixed rubbing alcohol with caramel food coloring and served it as scotch.

In another, a bar is accused of pouring dirty water into an empty bottle and passing it off as liquor.

Those are some of the details state officials released today after a year-long investigation called "Operation Swill," which culminated Wednesday when more than 100 investigators raided 29 bars and restaurants across New Jersey on the suspicion they had been serving cheap alcohol disguised as premium brands.

"What these 29 establishments have allegedly done threatens the integrity of the alcoholic beverage industry as a whole," state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said at a news conference today in Trenton. "This alleged scheme is a dishonest ruse to increase profits, and it is a slap in the face of the consumer. The consumer should have the peace of mind to know that when they pay for something, they get exactly what they paid for, no exceptions."

Thirteen of the establishments identified were TGI Fridays franchises operated by the Briad Group, a Livingston-based hospitality company. TGI Friday's corporate offices in Texas said today that the accusations are "very disturbing."

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http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/05/rubbing_alcohol_as_scotch_nj_o.html

[RagAss]

1. If there was ever a need for the death penalty....

[randome]

7. Sounds like some of the drinks may have been a death penalty on their own!

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[font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font]
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[alcibiades_mystery]

2. Amateur hour among the drinkers

Anyone who knows how to roll a decent drink would spot this in a hot second. They were probably using these in the usual ridiculous pseudo-cocktails like the Long Island Ice Teas and other shit of that type, where you rely on some sweet mixer to mask the flavor of the liquor. If I order a Manhattan, I want to taste the rye, and I'd tell you in a sip whether you were faking it. Anybody who's even moderately serious about booze quality would do that. But when you pile up booze with shitty "mixers," you can fool some amateurs. They're drinking the wrong drinks. Much of the Jersey bar scene still looks like "Cocktail" with Tom Cruise, the 1980's destruction of a 100 year tradition of craft cocktail making. Luckily, we've seen a resurgence of care for the drink with the resurgence of craft cocktails. You'd never be able to pull these scams off in one of those places, because the customers know what their liquor is supposed to taste and look and smell like! What kind of fucking know-nothing takes a taste of rubbing alcohol with caramel coloring and thinks it is scotch?

[redgreenandblue]

5. !

[pipi_k]

15. I'm thinking that

You'd never be able to pull these scams off in one of those places, because the customers know what their liquor is supposed to taste and look and smell like! What kind of fucking know-nothing takes a taste of rubbing alcohol with caramel coloring and thinks it is scotch?

Maybe they were serving that crap after the customers had already had a few and weren't so...aware...of what they were pouring down their throats.

I don't even drink and even I would be able to tell the difference...

[Junkdrawer]

17. "Amateur hour" aka "New Years Eve." n/t

[Junkdrawer]

19. BTW: Measured by DUI deaths, it's actually Thanksgiving (New Years is a distant 2nd)

Many people believe that New Year's Eve is the night when the most drunken driving accidents occur but they are wrong; New Year's Eve runs a distant second to the holiday that statistically has the largest number of drunk driving fatalities—Thanksgiving.

Many people know that Thanksgiving is a time with family, and people often feel the need to drink more around family and have a good time. However, this drunk driving fact is no laughing matter. At your next Thanksgiving dinner, give thanks for the health of those you are with and make sure that they get home safely.


http://dui.lifetips.com/tip/98580/drunk-driving-facts-stats/drunk-driving-facts-stats/a-little-known-drunk-driving-fact.html

Didn't know that. Do now.

[alcibiades_mystery]

20. Or St. Paddy's

Oooof.

[onehandle]

3. Which is why we mostly mix our drinks at home.

Out we drink beer, or get a bottle (to be opened in front of us) of wine.

[cali]

8. you're right. my mistake. I'll change it.

thanks for the correction.

[MineralMan]

9. Thank you in advance for making the change.

[Recursion]

6. I'm sorry. People who accept that as Scotch deserve to be swindled.

Seriously.

[liberal N proud]

10. The patrons couldn't taste the difference?

One sip should have told them it was not scotch

[LisaL]

14. Who says they couldn't?

This whole investigation was done becuase of complaints.

[marions ghost]

11. 29 bars and restaurants

mind-boggling

No morals anywhere anymore.

[Junkdrawer]

22. but you tell me over and over and over again my friend

[marions ghost]

24. tell you what?

sorry, no comprende

[Junkdrawer]

26. Sorry..sorry..child of the 60s....(WARNING GRAPHIC VIOLENCE)...

Barry McGuire: Eve of Destruction

Also, I've been posting that when belief in the future dies, much of the basis of morality goes with it.

[marions ghost]

28. Ok thanks

for clarifying. The mix of the Bushites and Islamic Extremists...yeah.

"When belief in the future dies, much of the basis of morality goes with it" == interesting comment.

[randome]

25. "Eve Of Destruction"?

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[Junkdrawer]

27. Yep. See above.n/t

[Capt. Obvious]

12. 29 is a lowball number

2900 is more likely.

[KurtNYC]

13. That ain't 'Happy Hour'

That's crappy hour.

[gvstn]

16. This doctor sounds a little too casual and is understating the risks IMO

Steven Marcus, a doctor with the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System at UMDNJ, said drinking rubbing alcohol won't kill someone — at least not right away.

"It is very easily metabolized," Marcus said. "We don't worry too much about it. If you really wanted to, you can drink rubbing alcohol and get drunk from it."

But he noted that drinking too much could eventually kill someone.

"That's true with anything," Marcus said. "Everything has poisonous qualities."

[Dash87]

21. It was probably ethyl alcohol.

I don't know much about this sort of thing, but it may have been somewhat safe to drink. Unfortunately, rubbing alcohol contains isopropyl alcohol, which isn't safe to drink. Even worse, it could contain methyl alcohol, which makes you go blind and kills you (Lethal dose is about 2 oz. I believe.)

[Javaman]

23. "We call this brand of Scotch, PrizeFighter!"

Mmmm, you can really taste the sweat.