One firm that followed this path is Jinro, which makes soju, Korean-made hard liquor.

ECONOMIST: South Korean bankruptcy

Fruity vodkas and tequilas have lately been creating new consumers for hard liquor.

WSJ: Review & Outlook: The Least Interesting Lawyers in the World

Not many years ago hard liquor seemed destined to go the way of some now virtually extinct soft drinks such as Moxie.

FORBES: Fact and Comment

The labeling regulation, issued May 28, comes after a decade of lobbying by hard liquor companies and consumer groups, with clearly different goals.

NPR: Are Nutritional Labels Coming On Alcoholic Drinks

"The unacceptable incident at Central Washington University, which appears to have involved hard liquor, such as vodka and rum, beer, our products, and possibly illicit substances, is precisely why we go to great lengths to ensure our products are not sold to underage consumers and are not abused, " a company statement said.

CNN: 'Blackout in a can' blamed for student party illnesses

And it was in Bandera that the Great Western Trail began, and with it the cult of the cowboy: 300, 000 head of longhorn cattle, most rustled from Mexico, herded through its broad main street every year in the 1870s and '80s, a last staging post to stock up on liquor and chilli brick before the long, hard ride to Dodge City, Kansas.

BBC: The perfect chilli con carne in the heart of Texas

Unlike liquor and lottery tickets, enterprise technology is not an industry that benefits from hard times.

FORBES: Magazine Article