Cocktails to-go are here to stay following the governor’s signing of H.B. 6548, which permanently legalized the COVID-19-era initiative that was originally aimed to help bars and restaurants sustain business during the pandemic.
Connecticut is now the 22nd state to make cocktails to-go legal on a full-time basis after the measure was set to expire next June. According to the law, any alcohol to-go must be accompanied by a food order from the establishment. Delivery is allowed by a direct employee of the restaurant or bar, or a third-party vendor that holds an in-state transporter’s permit.
According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a lobbying group for the distilled spirits industry that’s been pushing for the law, 11 other states have allowed cocktails to-go on a temporary basis since COVID-19, and some are considering making the initiative permanent like Connecticut.
