Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has banned alcohol for more than 70 years, so when whispers spread that an unmarked store in Riyadh, the capital, was quietly selling whiskey and Champagne to wealthy foreign residents, it did not take long for a queue of cars to form outside.

In recent weeks, the liquor store — previously open only to diplomats, who are exempt from the prohibition — has been selling to non-Muslim foreigners who hold an expensive “premium residency” permit, according to five customers interviewed by The New York Times.

Premium residency is a limited status, generally conferred on wealthy or highly educated foreigners who work for government-owned entities, or in strategic sectors like health care.

The customers, a mix of premium residents and diplomats, spoke on the condition of ano

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