New Jersey Becomes 33rd State to Permanently Allow Cocktails To-Go

New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill talks to reporters during a news conference Nov. 5, 2025, in Trenton, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File

New Jersey has become the latest state to permanently allow cocktails to-go, giving restaurants and bars a new long-term option for serving alcoholic drinks outside their establishments.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation making the pandemic-era measure permanent, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

Cocktails to-go were initially introduced as a temporary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, when restaurants and bars faced severe restrictions and sought new ways to generate revenue. The option remained popular with consumers after the pandemic and has since become permanent in much of the country.

With New Jersey’s legislation, 33 states and the District of Columbia have now enacted permanent laws allowing cocktails to-go.

“What began as a temporary measure has become a reliable part of how many restaurants and bars serve their customers,” Corey Staniscia, vice president of state government relations at DISCUS, said in a news release.

Staniscia credited Sherrill and the New Jersey Legislature for making the policy permanent, saying it will support the state’s hospitality industry while preserving an option that has remained popular among adult consumers.

Where Cocktails To-Go Are Legal

New Jersey joins Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin in permanently authorizing cocktails to-go.

The District of Columbia has also made its pandemic-era cocktails-to-go provisions permanent.

Two additional states still allow cocktails to-go on a temporary basis; California’s law is currently set to expire Dec. 31, 2026, while New York’s temporary authorization runs through April 9, 2030.

The laws vary by state and may include restrictions on packaging, transportation, where drinks can be consumed and how alcoholic beverages can be sold.

DISCUS said cocktails to-go are intended for home consumption and reminded consumers that existing alcohol laws must continue to be followed.