For good or ill, distilled spirits have been woven inextricably into the fabric of the Virgin Islands. Before there was calypso or quadrille or kallaloo in the territory, there was rum — or “kill devil” as an 18th-century West Indian might call it. For a few hours each Good Friday, however, local laws in both the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands restrict alcohol sales.
Reminders from the Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department that strong spirits can’t be “served in public places” between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. are almost always met with a grumble.
The law does not cover beer or wine, or low-alcohol local favorites like coquito or guavaberry. And, residents and visitors are free to pour themselves a stiff morning drink, so long as they imbibe from their own supply. If your rowdy Easter-rummy barhopping Maundy Thursday spills over to Friday, you’ll need to consult your flask until late afternoon.
Anyone serving high-proof liquor in public before 4 p.m. Friday is subject to a $200 fine or up to a year in jail.
It’s unclear if anyone has even been fined or jailed for violating the law. As far as Source researchers and legal-minded friends can tell, no such citation or penalty has been challenged in court.
The law itself may be on shaky legal ground. Connecticut struck down a similar liquor-free Good Friday law in 1981, Delaware in 1984, and Florida in the 1990s. In all three cases, courts found that the laws were enacted on religious grounds, not for secular public safety reasons. A 1996 study in the Vanderbilt Law Review noted, however, “the Bible contains no clear mandate against the sale, purchase, or consumption of alcohol …” Such laws were often derived from old British codes, not scripture.
BVI laws require all bars that sell liquor to be closed on Good Friday.
The wisdom of challenging the law is debatable. No cruise ships were scheduled for this Friday or Good Friday in 2023. And it’s unclear how much the Carnival Venezia missed its shoreside rum drinking on Good Friday 2024.
How these laws came to exist isn’t entirely clear. Laws governing alcohol and other drugs in the U.S. Virgin Islands date back to July 9, 1918, but don’t list the Good Friday rule. The Revised Organic Act is silent on such ordinances.
Scholarly reports list Danish West Indies warnings against alcohol abuse but much of it relates to the perceived dangers of serving rum to enslaved people. The earliest mention of the modern Good Friday law — Title 1 VIC, Chapter 11, Subsection 171(b) — that the Source could find dates back to 1970.
Two decades ago, a high-ranking official in the Charles Turnbull administration told the Source that there’s something to be said for upholding local traditions, even if they are quasi-legal. Taking a few hours off wouldn’t hurt anyone, he said.
For the avoidance of doubt, here’s the section in its entirety: “Distilled liquor and drinks prepared therewith shall not be served in public places of refreshment between the hours of 9:00 o’clock in the morning and 4:00 o’clock in the afternoon on Good Friday. Whoever violates this subsection shall be fined not more than $200 or imprisoned not more than a year or both.”
Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department Commissioner H. Nathalie Hodge explained in a written statement: “Distilled liquor includes spirits and can be defined as grain alcohol, with a high alcohol content. Examples of distilled spirits include brandy, whiskey, rum, gin, and vodka. This does not include beverages such as beer, wine, and cider, as they are fermented but not distilled, and have a relatively low alcohol content, typically less than 15 percent.”
Hodge urged the public to report any business observed in violation of this law to the Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department at 340-713-3522 on St. Croix, 340-714-3522 on St. Thomas, 340-727-3303 on St. John, or the DLCA Scam Line at 340-727-7226.
If you happen to know the origin of the Good Friday law, please contact the Source. We’d love to hear from you.
