Newsom signs a bill that gives takeout cocktails three more years
If you like picking up a well-made drink along with your dinner order, you can relax. California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that keeps cocktails to-go legal in the state until 2029. The measure, AB 2663, arrived just in time. The current rules were set to run out in December 2026, and without action the practice would have ended.
The bill is good news for adults who enjoy a cocktail at home and for the restaurants that sell them. It carries on a habit many Californians picked up during the pandemic and have since come to count on.
What AB 2663 actually does
The new law lets restaurants keep selling cocktails to-go, as long as they follow a few clear rules.
How the drinks have to be packaged
Under AB 2663, restaurants can sell cocktails to-go in manufacturer-sealed containers. Think of canned or bottled cocktails that arrive sealed from the company that made them. Restaurants can also sell cocktails in containers with secure, sealed lids. The idea is that the drink leaves the restaurant closed up and stays that way until the customer gets it home.
The meal requirement
The law also says cocktails must be sold with a meal. A customer can't walk in and order only a cocktail to go. The drink has to come along with food, which keeps it part of the takeout experience and not a stand-alone liquor sale.
Where the drinks are meant to be enjoyed
The distilled spirits industry points out that cocktails to-go are intended for home consumption. All laws governing alcohol consumption still have to be followed. That means the drink is meant for the kitchen table or the couch, not the car.
Why the law existed in the first place
Cocktails to-go were only temporarily allowed in California during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal at the time was to help businesses stay afloat while dining rooms were shut or restricted. It also gave customers more flexibility at a time when going out was hard.
The measure was always meant to be short term, and it was set to expire in December 2026. Lawmakers and the governor have now decided that it is worth keeping for another three years. With the signing of AB 2663, the option stays on the menu until 2029.
What the industry is saying
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the group that speaks for the spirits industry, welcomed the news. Adam Smith, the council's vice president of state government relations, put it this way:
"Adult consumers can continue to enjoy hand-crafted cocktails from their favorite restaurants in the comfort of their homes for another three years," said Adam Smith, vice president of state government relations at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. "Cocktails to-go have become a popular part of the takeout experience, giving Californians more choice and convenience while helping restaurants better serve their customers. We thank Governor Newsom and the Legislature for extending this popular option and delivering a win for consumers and local businesses across the state."
Smith's comments show how the industry sees the issue. Cocktails to-go are now treated as a normal part of takeout, not a pandemic leftover. The group sees the benefit going two ways: customers get more choice and convenience, and restaurants get another way to serve them.
California is not alone
California is part of a much bigger national trend. Since the start of the pandemic, 33 states and the District of Columbia have made cocktails to-go permanent. That says a lot about how popular the option is with customers and how well it has worked for businesses that serve drinks on their premises.
The states that made it permanent
These states, along with the District of Columbia, have turned their COVID-era cocktails to-go measures into lasting law:
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Florida
- Georgia
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
The states still doing it on a temporary basis
Only two places still treat cocktails to-go as a temporary measure: California and New York. California's current authority was set to end on December 31, 2026, and AB 2663 pushes that out to 2029. New York's runs until April 9, 2030.
What it means for diners and restaurants
For customers, the change is simple. The option to bring a hand-crafted cocktail home with a takeout meal is not going away at the end of this year. A man who likes a good old-fashioned or a margarita with his Friday night dinner can keep ordering it the same way for three more years.
For restaurants, the extension means one more tool in a tough business. Takeout has become a bigger part of how many places serve customers, and a cocktail added to a meal order is one more thing they can offer. The extension also gives owners time to plan, since they know the rules will hold for a few more years.
A note on drinking responsibly
The spirits industry stresses that it is committed to responsibility and encourages moderation for adults who choose to drink. The message that comes with this law is the same one the industry always gives: enjoy the drink at home, follow every law that covers alcohol, and keep it in moderation.
The bottom line
With one signature, Governor Newsom has kept a popular pandemic-era convenience alive in California. AB 2663 lets restaurants keep selling cocktails to-go in sealed containers, with a meal, until 2029. A large and growing list of states has already made the practice permanent, and California is now on a longer runway than before. Whether it eventually joins that list is a question for another day, but for now, adults in the state can keep ordering dinner and a drink to go.
