During the Covid-19 pandemic, many bars stayed afloat by offering cocktails to-go, and lawmakers supported the effort to sustain the on-premise industry and encourage consumer spending. Several states have extended their legislation allowing the sales of takeout drinks—or made laws allowing them permanently—at the behest of restaurant and bar operators who thought carry-out cocktails would continue to boost business. But now, as pandemic life stretches further into the rearview, many bartenders and restaurateurs are seeing a slowdown in demand for cocktails to-go.
“They were very popular during the height of Covid, as diners had no other option to access high-end, bartender-crafted cocktails,” says Craig Biggins, the general manager of Oak at Fourteenth in Boulder, Colorado. “We still offer to-go cocktails, but there’s little demand for them. However, we’ll continue to offer them as long as it’s legal, as it’s a pretty small lift on our bartenders.” Biggins adds that most takeout drinks orders today are part of a larger takeout food order. Oak at Fourteenth lists a handful of specialty cocktails on its takeout menu, along with beers, ciders, sakes, and wines. The top-seller to-go is the Across The Atlantic, made with Redemption rye, Benedictine liqueur, Lillet Rouge aperitif, and Cocktail Punk Oak bitters ($36 for two servings).
In nearby Denver, Just Be Kitchen still lists a handful of drinks to-go, too, but owner Jennfier Peters says they’re not nearly as popular as they once were. Her venue lists a Skinny Margarita, a Bloody Mary, and a Lemon Drop Martini ($9-$10 a drink) on the to-go menu, along with bottled and canned drinks ranging from kombucha to CBD sparkling water. “They were very popular because we never shut down during Covid, but they’re not really ordered much anymore,” Peters explains. Yet she adds that they will remain on the menu for the time being.
The story is similar at Bleu Boheme in San Diego. The French restaurant’s manager Jasmine Jernberg says cocktails to go were very popular a couple years ago but these days are an afterthought to the traditional dine-in experience. Bleu Boheme lists five Martinis to go ($40 for a large-format serving for four), and Jernberg says the Pinnacle vodka-based Basil Martini was most popular during the pandemic. “Now that guests are able to come back and enjoy the warm atmosphere of our bar, to-go interest has mostly dried up,” Jernberg says.
In Colorado, takeout cocktails will remain legal until July 2025 and in California, restaurants and bars are permitted to sell drinks to-go until 2026. The states that have made alcohol to-go a permanent addition include Arizona, Iowa, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin, among others. Fast-casual Mexican chain Velvet Taco takes full advantage of the permanence of drinks to go in most of its markets. The Dallas-based company operates roughly 40 venues in seven states, including restaurants in Texas, Florida, and Georgia, and most locations offer takeout cocktails. Selections include red sangria and a Lunazul Blanco-based Paloma or Margarita ($9-$12 for one serving; $40-$65 for large-format to-go pouch).
“Our guests love the option to bring our boozy libations home,” says Velvet Taco president of marketing Brooke Perry. “Many guests have grown to appreciate the convenience of enjoying restaurant-quality cocktails at home.” She notes that while the demand for to-go cocktails has stabilized post Covid-19, they remain popular at Velvet Taco. Indeed, the concept’s quick-service model makes it easy to carry out cocktails with food and Perry says that more than half of Velvet Taco’s total overall sales come from to-go and delivery orders. “We definitely plan on continuing to do to-go drinks for the foreseeable future,” she adds. “It makes our guests happy.”