Responsible Night Out

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Division kicks off Alcohol Awareness Month with the theme:

Alcohol Responsibility Matters

ABCD wants all servers, sellers, and customers to have and enjoy a safe and responsible night out.

Servers and Sellers:

Your goal is to have repeat customers for the business. You can help your customers with their choice to responsibly consume alcohol by implementing these in-house practices:
  • Engage with and help customers in a friendly and professional manner.
  • Have multiple interactions with your customers.
  • Watch for customers that “pre-game”.
  • Have a strategy for cutting someone off who may have had too much to drink.
  • Get the support of management for complicated situations or inexperienced servers.
  • Communicate with management and other servers when you decide to stop serving a customer.
  • Don’t free-pour or estimate the amount of alcohol per drink. Standardizing drinks helps your business be more profitable and prevents serving intoxicated customers.
  • Provide a low alcohol by volume (abv) or mocktail menu that is visible to customers.
  • Don’t bring drinks customers haven’t ordered yet. They might be done and feel like they need to drink more if you keep bringing drinks.
  • Serve water with alcoholic drinks and keep refilling water glasses.
  • Offer free soda or seltzer water, if possible.
  • Offer snacks like popcorn, pretzels, or mixed nuts for free, if possible.
  • Have a small easy bar menu available for customers, if possible.
  • Have menus available from nearby restaurants for customers to order from. They can use a 3rd party food delivery service if available.
  • Help your customers get home safely and lawfully:
    • Call a cab.
    • Have 3rd party ride service contact info available.

Customers:

Going out on the town or having after-work drinks?

Know your alcohol limits:

  • Be aware of your limitations and stick to them.
  • Keep track of the number of drinks you have had and the timing of them. Pace yourself if you will be out for a while.
  • Stick with one type of alcohol.
  • Eat before going out, preferably a high-protein meal.
  • Understand how your medications may respond when mixed with alcohol.
  • Avoid “pre-gaming”.
  • Check out the virtual bar to customize your safe drinking experiences. Learn how alcohol affects you before you start drinking:

Be safe:

  • Decide in advance how many drinks you will have.
  • Drink water in between each alcoholic beverage consumed.
  • Know when to call it a night.
  • Stick with your friends.
  • Listen to your friends when they tell you you’ve had enough to drink.

Plan your ride:

  • Request to have the bartender call you a taxi.
  • Call for a 3rd party ride service to get home.
  • Ask or call a family member to pick you up.

Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) Calculator | Responsibility.org

Not drinking?

  • Order a seltzer with lime.
  • Ask for a low abv cocktail.
  • Ask for a mocktail.

Know what you are drinking:

  • Know the standard drink size of what you are drinking.
  • For more information on standard drink size click here.
An educational poster by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division on 'How Many Drinks Are You Really Having?' and 'What is a Standard Drink?'. It illustrates different alcoholic beverages and their drink equivalents.
  • Glassware can be deceiving. Beware of large glasses that trick your eye into thinking drinks are smaller than they are.

Hosting a Party?

Whether it’s celebrating with friends and family or a favorite holiday event, it’s important to be a responsible host. Have a plan:
  • Provide plenty of food options.
  • Offer fun nonalcoholic drinks, low abv cocktails, and mocktails.
  • Ask sober drivers or have designated drivers drive guests home.
  • Collect keys.
  • Have a rideshare fare fund available for guests.
  • Don’t serve underage guests.
  • At least one hour before the party wraps up, stop serving alcohol and serve additional snacks.
  • Consider restricting the kinds of bring-your-own (BYO) drinks you have at your party. For example:
    • Allow only beer and pre-mixed drinks like ready-to-drink (RTDs) beverages.
    • Know the abv of all drinks on hand.
    • Be mindful that any BYO beverages may have a higher alcohol content. Or your guests may mix doubles or “heavier” drinks without you even knowing.

What are RTDs?

As the name suggests, ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages are premixed drinks that are ready to be consumed immediately. Some have a lower alcoholic content compared to traditional liquors, spirits, and even some beers. With RTD cocktails, there’s no mixing necessary. You simply pop them open and enjoy.

BUT – Be careful!! All of them are different!

For more information on RTDs, click here.

A promotional poster for Ready to Drink (RTD) alcoholic beverages, featuring images of cans and bottles with 'Check ABV' labels. Highlights include 'Spirits-based mixed cocktails', 'ABV: 4%-20%', 'Convenient', 'Popular', and advice to 'Read labels!' for low ABV in small containers.

Most canned cocktails contain between 4 and 7% ABV (which is still quite a bit). Be aware there are some canned cocktails containing a whopping 25% ABV!!!

In Montana, RTDs are available at liquor stores and all-alcoholic beverage-licensed establishments. Some examples include:

  • Margaritas
  • White Russians
  • Rum and Colas
  • Pina Coladas
  • Espresso Martinis
  • Vodka Sodas
  • Mojitos
  • Palomas
  • Gin and Tonics
  • Other common mixed drinks normally found in a bar, mixed by a bartender.

ABCD hopes these tips can help you have a Responsible Safe Night Out!

Low ABV of the Week: Scarlet Spritz

Ingredients:

  • Absinthe, to rinse
  • 1 1/2 ounces strawberry-infused Aperol*
  • 1/2 ounce Lillet Blanc aperitif
  • 2 dashes rhubarb bitters
  • Sparkling wine, chilled, to top
  • Garnish: lemon twist
  • Garnish: strawberry

Directions:

  • Coat the inside of a Coupe or Nick & Nora glass with Absinthe, then discard the excess and set aside.
  • Add the infused Aperol, Lillet Blanc, and rhubarb bitters to a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled.
  • Strain into the prepared glass.
  • Top with sparkling wine.
  • Garnish with a lemon twist and speared strawberry.
  • Serve the remainder of the drink in a small carafe over ice, if desired.
  • *Strawberry-infused Aperol: Soak 1/2 pint fresh strawberries in a 750 mL bottle of Aperol for at least 8 hours or overnight, then strain out solids. Store the infused Aperol in the refrigerator.

Makes 1 serving.

Mocktail of the Week: Mango Mule

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 slices of cucumber
  • 1 oz honey syrup
  • 1.5 oz mango puree
  • 1.5 oz fresh lime juice
  • 1.5 oz nonalcoholic ginger beer
  • Ice

Directions:

  • Muddle cucumber and honey syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
  • Add the mango puree and lime juice and shake with ice vigorously.
  • Strain into copper mug.
  • Top with ginger beer and stir.

Makes 1 serving.