This study provides an empirical demonstration that people’s reaction to youth drinking are influenced by the alleged motive for drinking and that regulations can easily be violated as soon as the perceived motive for underage liquor drinking is a positive emotion. The study solicited 432 passersby (50% men) to buy hard liquor for a female confederate allegedly younger than the minimum legal drinking age in France. Results showed that participants complied more frequently with the request when the motive for drinking was related with positive emotion.