Alcohol revival

In tandem with rising sales, loosening liquor laws are making it easier than ever to obtain craft cocktails during quarantine. To meet the growing demand—while simultaneously offering a lifeline to restaurants and bars amid forced closures—restrictions on alcohol sales are being slackened across the country. Thanks to new “off-premise privileges,” restaurants and bars can now sell drinks to go in several states, including New York, California, Texas, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Arizona and Florida.

Taking advantage of the newly relaxed laws, bars are pivoting to takeout and delivery. Among the growing list of bars selling cocktails to go are acclaimed Employees Only in West Hollywood, storied speakeasy Attaboy in Manhattan, James Beard-nominated Leyenda in Brooklyn, New York City industry darling Existing Conditions and trendy Michelin guide-endorsed True Laurel in San Francisco. Restaurants are also getting in on the action, adding wine and beer to their takeout menus. In states where takeout cocktails still aren’t permitted, such as Illinois, Washington and Massachusetts, bars and restaurants are getting creative. Bartenders and mixologists are assembling make-it-yourself cocktail kits without the booze, so that patrons can recreate their favorite drinks at home.

“It’s a stressful time for everyone and people are already getting stir-crazy,” Employees Only co-owner and manager Tom Sopit told Eater. “We saw some news yesterday about the Japanese trend of friends drinking together online (on-nomi), and love that people don’t want to give up on grabbing a drink with friends.”