Call to ban 13-shot mix

A monster cocktail served by a popular restaurant chain should join the list of banned drinks and promotions, the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) has warned. A 13.6-shot cocktail at the Taco Bill chain of restaurants (Melbourne) has become the latest target for critics who warn it’s a clear breach of responsible service guidelines. “Clearly, any container of alcohol sold for consumption on this premises that includes over 13 standard shots is completely unacceptable and the licensees should be immediately dealt with,” AHA chief executive Brian Kearney was quoted as saying.

In the neighbouring state of South Australia, writes John Harvey from Adelaide, new anti-intoxication legislation will make it easier for licensed premises to evict drunken patrons.

Experts are warning punters to think before ordering. Drinkers will be assessed on their “speech, balance, co-ordination and behaviour” to determine how drunk they are. But DrinkWise’s chief executive Chris Watters, a industry-funded agency promoting responsible drinking, questions whether some popular alcoholic drinks should be sold at all. “I would question the appropriateness of some types of drinks being made available at the retail end of the trade,’’ Mr Watters said. “Other drinks, apart from the 13 shot Pancho Villa Illusion, also raise the question of responsible service of alcohol; they include Brain Haemorrhage (peach schnapps, Baileys, raspberry), Flatliner (white sambucca, tequila, Tabasco sauce) and Jäger bomb (Jägermeister, Red Bull). These are drinks that are ordered for the purpose of rapid intoxication.”

Do readers think that something will go amiss in our culture if these cocktails are banned?