Kathy Hochul Pushing Hard for This Law Change in New York

We're four years removed from the start of the pandemic, which drastically changed the way we live life in New York for two years. Even today, we see some differences from the pandemic.

If you remember back in 2020, restaurants and bars were forced to close due to high risk for COVID-19 infections. This meant restaurants and bars had to rely on takeout and delivery orders, with one added way to make money that was a home run.

To-go drinks.

To-go cocktails were a huge hit with customers, and it helped keep restaurants and bars going during the dine-in closures during the pandemic.

That to-go drink law is about to expire in 2025. However, New York's Governor is making a push to make to-go drinks permanent in the state.

Kathy Hochul posted on X (formerly Twitter) that she's making a push to make to-go drinks permanent, as part of the New York State budget.

If you remember, the to-go drinks law expired in the summer of 2021 but was quickly reinstated in early 2022. The expiration date for this is April of 2025 but if Hochul gets her way in the state budget, to-go alcoholic drinks will be something that will never expire.

To-go cocktails are allowed in 20 states and there has been clamoring from bars and restaurants for it to stick around, since it is helping business, which is still attempting to get back to pre-pandemic business numbers.

We saw too many great restaurants and bars close temporarily or permanently due to the pandemic. It appears there's enough support for to-go cocktail drinks to stick around past the 2025 expiration date.