Pennsylvania bill to legalize cocktails to-go stalls, on hold for summer

Cocktails to-go will remain a no-go in Pennsylvania until at least the fall, when state lawmakers are scheduled to return from their summer break.

The state Senate decided to shelve a measure regarding to-go drinks because the House removed a provision championed by state Sen. Mike Regan, R-York County, that also would have allowed ready-to-drink cocktails, or RTDs, to be sold by restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores and beer distributors for off-­premises consumption.

There are several differences between to-go cocktails and RTDs.

Earlier this month, the Senate passed legislation to make permanent the sale of mixed drinks to-go by restaurant or hotel licensees for off-premises consumption. Last year, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a temporary measure a few months into the pandemic allowing the sale of mixed drinks to-go when restaurants were forced to close for in-person service.

But the measure expired this month as covid restrictions lifted.

At the time, Regan said he wants to legalize RTDs, which are manufactured and sold in sealed containers such as cans, because “the way in which liquor is sold in Pennsylvania is evolving, and consumers want more convenience when purchasing products. This is a commonsense measure that will significantly increase state revenue while helping businesses across the commonwealth.”

Some Democrats in the Legislature and Gov. Tom Wolf are opposed to legalizing RTDs, because they fear such a move would be a step toward privatizing the state liquor industry. Wolf, who supports to-go cocktails, had promised to veto any legislation that included the RTD provision.

“There is overwhelming bipartisan support for extending drinks to-go permanently, and it’s disappointing that (Regan), who has an idea that he wants to foist upon everybody, is holding everything up,” said state Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills.

“It’s discouraging that the bill is sitting in limbo and there’s some speculation that the folks that he’s trying to do it for, the beer distributors and the like, his family has an interest in that space. So there are a lot of folks questioning the motives right now,” Costa said.

Regan did not return a call for comment Tuesday.

Costa, who does not support ready-to-drink cocktails, said a separate discussion about RTDs should be held in September.

“We’ll consider the merits of that as we go forward,” Costa said. “There’s opposition to it from the (Wolf) administration, and there’s opposition from other folks who see this as a significant revenue loss to the commonwealth and see it as a loss of jobs. That’s why the governor would have vetoed that measure.”