Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) signed HB 5811 into law allowing restaurants and bars to sell cocktails to-go in sealed containers.
“Cocktails to-go have been a crucial economic lifeline for hospitality businesses across the nation hit hard by the pandemic,” said David Wojnar, VP-State Government Relations, Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. “Michigan’s restaurants and bars have been struggling to cope with the economic hardships of COVID-19. Cocktails to-go will provide increased stability and cash flow to help offset these negative impacts. We thank Governor Whitmer and the legislature for supporting this revenue-boosting opportunity for local businesses.”
“Cocktails to-go will be critical to the survival of the hospitality industry because we don’t know how long we will be operating at this reduced capacity while many bars are continuing to accrue debt and face financial hardship,” said Scott Ellis, executive director, Michigan Licensed Beverage Association.
“The Michigan Spirits Association has spent quite a bit of time working on cocktails to-go along with several others issues that were sent to the governor’s office, and we are thrilled that Gov. Whitmer has signed these into law,” said Sam Awdish, president, Michigan Spirits Association. “These new laws not only provide needed relief and new revenue sources to the hospitality industry, but they offer fun and safe alternatives for their guests to enjoy hand crafted cocktails in a comfortable setting of their choice – once again putting Michigan in a position to be a leader in the Midwest’s cocktail scene.”
Under the law, restaurants and bars will be able to sell cocktails to-go until Dec. 31, 2025.
Currently, more than 30 states plus the District of Columbia are allowing restaurants and/or bars to sell cocktails to-go, bottled spirits to-go or both. Iowa became the first state to make the cocktails to-go measure permanent on June 29. Other states, including Texas, Florida, Ohio, Oklahoma, and the District of Columbia, are also considering making their policies permanent.