The eight states that have outlawed happy hours - and four that allow 'drive-thru daiquiris'

Laws surrounding alcohol in the US vary hugely from state to state - and several might come as a surprise to those who indulge.

From banning booze on Sundays to outlawing 'happy hour,' research compiled by USA Today reveals a host of little-known rules ranging from conventional to strange.

Only the legal age to partake and the illegality of driving drunk remain the same - with virtually every other rule left up to locals to determine.

So what is permitted - and outlawed - where you live?

No Happy Hour

Several states - ranging from Massachusetts and Alaska - have banned discounted drinks at certain parts of the day.

Known as Happy Hour, the practice is decidedly American - but eight states have decided to abstain from allowing drinkers to get cheap drinks after a day's work.

The others include Indiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont.

The reason behind the guidance is to not encourage binge-drinking - though they do not deter all-day specials.

A sort of workaround the state legislation, the maneuver is not allowed in all states - with places like Alaska only allowing specials that run for at least a week, or until the product runs out.

The term happy hour, moreover, originates from American Naval slang used in the 1920s, when happy hours were actually periods of time on ships where sailors could engage in relaxing activities.

Since it offered some respite from the drudgery of their daily duties, the breaks were characterized as happy.

Still, some states elect to stay 'sad' instead.

'Drive-thru Daiquiris'

An alcohol-related quirk that began in Louisiana, daiquiris served to-go were dreamed up in the '80s.

It sees the rum-based cocktail served up in Styrofoam cups - all perfectly legal as long as the lid is closed. 

Another stipulation is that there is no straw protruding from the cup while driving, and that the cup’s contents have not been removed.

Given the state's seasonal heat and abundance of long, rural roads, the rule offers some welcome respite - despite it being somewhat antithetical to laws deterring drunken driving.

But, again, it is all perfectly legal in Louisiana - and patrons are told upon purchasing to keep the container closed.

As long as the lid is intact, you're good to enjoy - with states like Mississippi, Texas and Florida since adopting the same model. It is not allowed anywhere else. 

Unique Utah

Utah has some of the strangest laws in the world involving alcohol - including not allowing the sale of miniature alcohol bottles on airplanes and in hotels.

The shipping of alcohol to your home is also a state felony - meaning people can forget about purchasing booze online or taking part in a wine- or whiskey-of-the-month club.

There are also strict regulations surrounding the formulation of any and all cocktails - which state officials say must have no less than 1.5 ounces of primary liquor inside, and no more than 2.5 ounces. 

An apparent attempt to keep drinkers from getting scammed as well as too drunk, such statues do not exist anywhere else in the US.

The state boasts an abundance of bizarre laws not involving alcohol as well - like the disallowance of so-called 'milk discrimination', and a need to keep your hat low at movie theaters.

The term milk discrimination refers to a phenomenon seen in the business of buying milk products, where one cannot discriminate 'between sections, communities, localities, cities, or towns of this state,' according to UT Code § 76-6-105.

No-last-call Nevada

While New York is known as the city that never sleeps, night owls will be happy to know that it's Nevada where the words 'last-call' are almost never announced.

That's because such mandates are not required by law, likely to allow hotspots like Las Vegas the most money-making potential.

That said, the practice is not limited to Sin City, meaning the rest of the state is your oyster.

This comes in stark contrast to the rest of the country, most of which mandates that alcohol stop being sold sometime between 1 to 4am.

Some states have their deadlines set even earlier - like Florida, which has its pegged at midnight. However, the Sunshine State allows some leeway for certain cities like Miami, where bartenders stop taking orders at 5am.

The only other state to allow you to purchase drinks at any point in the day is Louisiana, home to New Orleans.

Dampers on Election Day

A grand total of two states prohibit the buying of booze on Election Day - meaning this year, come November 5, don't expect any adult beverages in Alaska and Massachusetts.

Located on opposite sides of North America, they both boast the prohibition-era guidance more than a century later.

All other 48 states have since repealed it, as the old law was mainly intended to clear out saloons then being used as polling places.

Today, this is definitely not the case, though the rule does allow for a clear mind when heading to a local library or school to cast a ballot.

In both states, alcohol sales resume once the polls close at 9pm.

Locals and tourists alike will have to hold out until then, even if they're not voting.

'Never on Sunday'

As the Four Seasons once put it, Sundays are a day of rest - and whether it be a week day or a freak day, 'Blue Laws' still reign supreme in some states.

The term refers to laws that ban certain business and recreational activities on specific days, including the restriction of the sale of alcohol on Sundays.

A total of four states keep up the practice fully, centuries after they were first implemented.

They are Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas, and Utah - all of which elect to close liquor store doors on that specific day of the week. The term Blue Law, moreover, not only refers to the barring of drinking, but other secular activities as well.

Because of this, blue laws have been frequently challenged in federal court, with many arguing they are unconstitutional due to the First Amendment, which demands Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion.

Such efforts, however, are due to Supreme Court jurists finding that there is a secular purpose in creating a uniform day of rest.

Supermarket Statutes

The supermarket is a staple of America - but only some sell alcoholic drinks freely, and many have certain restrictive stipulations. 

Alaska, Rhode Island, and Delaware groceries do not sell any - along with Maryland, which has a few exceptions.

Six grocery chains and one independent grocery store - Snider's Foods - are each allowed to sell beer and wine in just one store in one specific county.

This is because of an exemption each received from the state government, due to them opening before the law banning beer and wine from being sold in grocery stores went into effect.

Chains include Giant Food, Safeway, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, Magruder's, Bestway Supermercado, and 7-Eleven, each of which can transfer their license to sell to another location in the county as long as they obtain approval from the local Board of License Commissioners. 

Spirits are completely off-limits, as is the case in Mississippi, Kentucky, New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, Kansas, and Utah, where only beer is sold.

Both beer and wine can be found on grocery store shelves in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. 

All other states allow the sale of any kind of alcohol, as long as they're legal to be sold in the US.