To-Go Cocktails Halted In PA As COVID-19 Disaster Status Ends

HARRISBURG, PA — Gov. Tom Wolf still supports making permanent cocktails to go in Pennsylvania restaurants and bars, but could veto a bill in the General Assembly that would permit it. The reason: A provision in the measure would allow retailers with licenses to sell beer and wine - including grocery and convenience stores - to begin selling cans of mixed hard alcohol drinks to go.

Wolf signed the original cocktails to-go law in May 2020, during the height of the coronavirus shutdowns, as a way to aid bars and restaurants financially harmed by the state's virus mitigation
mandates. Their ability to do so ended Tuesday, when state election results were certified and Wolf's pandemic disaster emergency declaration officially ended.

Republicans in the GOP-controlled House inserted a provision in the bill that would allow private wholesale distributors to sell the hard alcohol drink cans directly to retailers. Currently, only state-owned Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores are permitted to sell mixed drink cans at retail in Pennsylvania.

Wolf issued a statement indicating he supports the bill's original intent: to allow bars and restaurants to continue making mixed hard alcohol drinks and selling them in to-go containers.

"I support memorializing this relief for bars and restaurants by making cocktails to go permanent and I strongly urge the Senate to support Pennsylvania's bars, restaurants and hotels by sending a clean bill to my desk," he said.