ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Do you think you could recognize a liquor bottle if your child brought one home? What if it's shaped like a bottle of perfume, or looks like an energy drink can?

Substance abuse experts in Rock Hill say hard liquor is being cleverly marketed to kids. Bottles feature bright colors, fancy labels and shapes meant to draw the attention of young people.

On Thursday police and sheriff's officials, along with the solicitor, partnered with Keystone Substance Abuse Services to launch a new effort to battle teen drinking. The program called “EASY” stands for eliminate alcohol sales to youth.

The effort involves more police checks of convenience stores, getting parents to report drinking parties that happen in homes and education for store clerks where alcohol is sold.

Solicitor Kevin Brackett said he's tired of comforting grieving parents after tragic car crashes.

"We're having kids slaughtered on the highways after they drink too much, and yet we have this being sold within a half mile of where we're standing right now. It's appalling," he said.

Even liquor store owners admit that hard liquor is now marketed toward the young, especially young women.

"It's all about packaging today," said Doug Hinson, owner of O'Darby’s store in Rock Hill.

"We don't advocate underage drinking, but it's all about the bottom line today. I think that's what a lot of companies are doing," he said.

New research in South Carolina also shows that liquor has now topped beer as the drink of choice.

New laws passed in the Palmetto State this summer strengthen punishments against stores that sell to minors and against people who host parties where underage drinking is going on.