Lush Life | Beating the law at the beach

The snap of spring hits the Grand Strand and there is one thing that locals start to do more often. Day drinking. Specifically, beach day drinking.

According to South Carolina state law, it is illegal to consume alcohol on the beach or in other other public areas not licensed to sell booze. Over the years, the interpretation of this law has wavered. Some believe that you just can not have glass bottles. Others believe that, as long as you are at least 21 years of age, it is fine to drink on the beach. Some very old school folks believe that anything goes. The truth is that alcohol is illegal, in any vessel or form, on our public beaches.

In true Surge fashion, we came up with some ideas to dodge this law for the summer. Drinking on the beach is easy as long as you are not acting foolish, are being responsible, and never drink and drive.

Keep it cool

A cooler on the beach is going to draw attention to yourself. Discretion is the best way to go under the radar. Use a soft cooler tucked inside a backpack or shoulder bag. This stealth mode cooler may not hold as many frosty treats, but it will keep the man off your case. A seasoned professional beach drinker will leave the big cooler in the car and take a little at a time to the beach in a smaller bag.

So, you get the cans to the beach, now what? You can’t very well pull out a beer can and remain incognito.

Two solutions. First, a kookie is a multi-task tool in that it is a disguise and keeps your beer cold. While almost obvious, it may do the job. Keep a few on hand. Even better is to get an opaque, insulated mug. Turvis and its imitations make a fine mug with custom lids, handles and designs. Simply transfer the contents of the can to the mug. Again, unless you are acting like a fool, there will be no reason for anyone with a badge to stop by and investigate.

Keep it safe

While we are talking about it, keep your beach drinks in plastic or aluminum. Glass breaks easier than you might think. If you break glass on the beach, you run the risk of ruining a beach day for someone else. The more fun everyone has on the beach, the more friends from afar we can host. Keep it safe is the first rule in anything beach related.

Likewise, the red solo cup thing is over. You aren’t fooling anyone by waving around the beer pong, fraternity party drinking mug. In fact, a group of five to eight people all drinking out of red solo cups will bring more attention to your group than if everyone was drinking beer from a can. The last thing you need is an officer asking you to pour out your booze on a sunny beach day.

Match it up

Beer is the easiest thing to smuggle onto the sand this summer. However, some ample preplanning can delight any cocktail lover as well.

First, find a bottle that matches the color of the cocktail you plan to drink. If you like whiskey drinks, find an empty 16-ounce Coke bottle. If you like vodka drinks with no fruit juice, find a Sprite bottle. If you like fruity drinks, grab a juice bottle.

Next, empty the bottle into a separate container. A second, identical bottle works best if you want to be super stealthy. Fill one of the bottles half full of water and freeze it. Fill the other bottle with your cocktail mix. You can use any plastic container for the cocktail mix if you like. When you get to the beach, pour half of the cocktail mix over the water in the sister bottle that you froze. Give it a little swirl and let it hang out for a second to chill. You have a chilled cocktail that will last you a while in the summer sun. Refill until the ice is gone or you have had enough.

This is the ultimate beach cocktail container. You don’t have to use beer-soaked ice from the big coolers, you can drink a little at a time to keep the beverage ice cold and you can re-use the same bottles all summer long if you are careful.

Don’t be stupid

The laws of our beach are there to protect you. While it is a lot of fun to have some drinks on the beach, there is also a responsibility. Never swim when you are under the influence. The ocean is not a controlled environment and situations arise that require a clear mind. It is dangerous to swim if you are drinking. Use the same rule that you would use if you were driving. If you are not driving, you are not swimming.

Our beaches are supposed to be fun. Our local officials also want to keep them safe. Do your part in keeping them safe, but also go have some fun without the hassle of the man bringing your down. Safe day drinking.

Cheers!

This story was originally published April 9, 2015 at 11:00 PM with the headline "Lush Life | Beating the law at the beach."