To-go cocktails are now permanently legal in Massachusetts

BOSTON - You can once again grab a cocktail to go in Massachusetts. Gov. Maura Healey has signed a supplemental bill that makes to-go cocktails a permanent fixture at restaurants in the state.

Customers can buy up to 64 ounces of a mixed cocktail alongside a food purchase. The drinks must be kept in a sealed container and transported in the trunk of a car or a place "that is not considered the passenger area," legislation says

Pandemic-era legislation becomes permanent

Cocktails to go were first legalized in Massachusetts in 2020, months after the COVID pandemic began, but only on a temporary basis. A temporary measure allowing their sale had expired on April 1.

"Massachusetts consumers, restaurants and bars can all toast to the fact that cocktails to-go are here to stay," Andy Deloney of the  Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said in a statement. "During the pandemic, cocktails to-go were a critical source of revenue for many businesses, and now, the increased convenience and stability they offer is permanent."

There are 27 states that have made to-go cocktails permanent, including Rhode Island, Connecticut and Maine.