Gov. Carney signs bill to make to-go cocktails permanent in Delaware

DOVER, Del. – Governor John Carney signed House Bill 290 on Wednesday, making to-go cocktails permanent in the state of Delaware.

Delaware is now the 17th state to make to-go cocktails permanent, effective immediately. This was permitted through temporary regulatory relief in response to COVID-19, which was set to expire on March 31st.

When the pandemic began, more than 35 states began allowing restaurants and/or bars to sell cocktails to-go as an economic relief measure via executive orders or other temporary measures. Since then, 17 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to make this permanent, and 14 other states passed legislation to allow to-go cocktails temporarily. Some states are still considering cocktails to-go legislation.

Maryland and Virginia both passed legislation to allow to-go cocktails on a temporary basis. Maryland’s is set to expire June 30, 2023 with a local option, while Virginia will allow it until July 1, 2022.