What is a bottle-o in Australia?
A bottle-o is Australian slang for a liquor store, also called a bottle shop. It sells beer, wine and spirits to take away. Many bottle-os are attached to pubs, with drive-through service.
The word comes from bottle shop with the typical Australian o ending. Bottle-os are licensed to sell alcohol for drinking off the premises, unlike pubs and bars, which serve drinks on site.
Many Australian pubs have drive-through bottle shops, where customers stay in their cars while staff bring drinks to them. This is a familiar sight in suburbs and country towns.
Rules and hours
Alcohol laws differ between states and territories. In most places, people must be 18 or older to buy alcohol, and staff may ask for identification. Trading hours and rules, such as restrictions in some remote communities, vary.
Large chains such as Dan Murphy's and BWS operate thousands of stores, while independent bottle-os are common in smaller towns.
People might say grab a slab from the bottle-o, meaning a carton of 24 beers, or pick up a bottle of wine on the way to a barbecue. Bringing your own drinks, called BYO, is common at parties and at some restaurants.
Responsible service of alcohol laws require staff to refuse sales to people who are drunk, and some states have introduced ID scanners or limits in certain areas to reduce alcohol harm.
Did You Know?
Australians sometimes call a case of beer a slab, and a small bottle a stubby.