{"id":446003,"date":"2026-08-28T09:36:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T09:36:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/446003\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T09:36:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T09:36:18","slug":"california-cocktails-to-go-extension-heads-to-gavin-newsoms-desk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/446003\/","title":{"rendered":"California cocktails to-go extension heads to Gavin Newsom\u2019s desk"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Cocktails are staying on the go.<\/p>\n<p>Californians will be able to keep ordering alcoholic drinks to-go for another three years after state lawmakers passed legislation extending the pandemic-era policy through 2029.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org\/bills\/ca_202520260ab2663\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Assembly Bill 2663<\/a> is now headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s desk for his signature. The current law allowing restaurants to sell cocktails for off-site consumption is set to expire Dec. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>California is now among a shrinking group of states where cocktails to-go remain a temporary measure. Getty Images\/iStockphoto<\/p>\n<p>The policy was originally rolled out during the COVID-19 pandemic as a lifeline for restaurants. Albany Times Union via Getty Ima<\/p>\n<p>The measure lets restaurants sell cocktails in manufacturer-sealed containers, such as canned cocktails, or containers with secure, sealed lids. <\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s one catch: The <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/04\/lifestyle\/nycs-wildest-cocktail-bar-is-taking-over-la-for-2-nights\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">booze must be purchased<\/a> with a meal.<\/p>\n<p>The policy was originally rolled out during the COVID-19 pandemic as a lifeline for restaurants struggling with indoor-dining restrictions \u2014 but the cocktails-to-go crowd apparently isn\u2019t ready to give it up.<\/p>\n<p>A bartender at Wipeout Bar &amp; Grill makes cocktails. Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>Californians will be able to keep ordering alcoholic drinks to-go for another three years after state lawmakers passed legislation extending the pandemic-era policy through 2029. REUTERS<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdult consumers in California are one step closer to enjoying cocktails to-go for another five years,\u201d said Adam Smith, vice president of state government relations <a href=\"https:\/\/distilledspirits.org\/news\/california-legislature-passes-bill-to-extend-cocktails-to-go-until-2031\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">at the Distilled Spirits Council of the US<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat began as a lifeline for neighborhood restaurants has become a convenient, popular option for consumers.<\/p>\n<p>Extending cocktails to-go allows local businesses to continue meeting customer demand while giving adults more flexibility to enjoy restaurant-quality cocktails at home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The measure lets restaurants sell cocktails in manufacturer-sealed containers, such as canned cocktails, or containers with sealed lids.  Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>California is now among a shrinking group of states where cocktails to-go remain a temporary measure.<\/p>\n<p>New Jersey also allows takeaway cocktails on a temporary basis, though it has not set an expiration date. New York\u2019s law is currently set to expire April 9, 2030.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, 32 states and Washington, DC, have made cocktails to-go permanent, according to the Distilled Spirits Council.<\/p>\n<p>The legislation applies only to adults and does not change existing laws governing alcohol consumption.<\/p>\n<p>If Newsom signs the bill, Californians can keep grabbing that margarita, martini or Manhattan with their dinner \u2014 and taking it home \u2014 through 2029.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cocktails are staying on the go. Californians will be able to keep ordering alcoholic drinks to-go for another&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":446004,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1630,387,7,9,8,416,457,721,14800],"class_list":["post-446003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-alcohol","tag-business","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-cocktails","tag-gavin-newsom","tag-law","tag-pandemics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/446004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=446003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=446003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}