It seems lawmakers in Louisiana have been talking about wine and ice cream for months. Now, the talk is over and lawmakers have taken action.
The Louisiana House of Representatives does not have a taste for wine in ice cream. Only 44 lawmakers supported a proposal that would allow sales of wine-infused ice cream in the state. The measure needed 53 votes to pass.
There was some promise for supporters early on. The measure made it out of committee with unanimous approval. This came after restrictions were added to ban people under the age of 21 from gaining access to the ice cream.
Under the proposal, ice cream with alcohol of more than ten percent could be sold in Louisiana, as long as the person buying the ice cream was 21 or older. Sales would also have been restricted to establishments that are licensed to sell alcohol. The bill’s sponsor still has the option of bringing it back for reconsideration.
So how did we get to this point? Louisiana has something called the “adulterated foods” statute. This apparently deals with alcohol as well as food sanitation. So, for now, alcohol-infused ice cream remains illegal in the state. This type of “adult-oriented” ice cream is becoming popular around the country, not so much because want to catch a buzz from ice cream, but more because there are so many new flavor creations that can be produced. This is great for creative ice cream makers, but legal hurdles remain in many areas. As we are seeing, legislative action is required in Louisiana and several other states to sell alcohol-infused ice cream.
There are some terrific flavors out there that feature alcohol. We’re talking about flavors like Rum Raisin, rum-flavored ice cream with rum-soaked raisins.
Not all ice cream is for kids, but ice cream will always have plenty of flavors to choose from.