I was in White Rock BC over the Summer. At one of the Alcohol stores they were giving free samples!! I Loved That! No way you could do that here in the U.S.
Yeah, BC is such an easygoing place...that wouldn't happen here. It's illegal to give away alcohol in Ontario. They still have samples at the liquor store, you just have to pay a token amount, usually a quarter.
I worked at a bar once and we almost lost our liquor licence because we gave away shooters as prizes for trivia and dance contests. We switched to giving out cards good for $5 off the food portion of your bill.