New Jersey permanently allows the sale and delivery of to-go alcoholic beverages
The COVID-era provisions have been made permanent after Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation Friday.
In New Jersey, “to-go” alcoholic beverages are officially here to stay.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Friday signed legislation making permanent the COVID-era provisions that allowed bars, restaurants, and other permitted businesses to sell and deliver alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption. Intended to be temporary, those allowances were previously set to expire Sept. 1.
Moving forward, the legislation allows certain establishments to sell and deliver mixed cocktails in closed, sealed containers, and alcoholic beverages in their original containers, to be consumed away from their locations. Craft distillery licensees will also be able to sell and deliver their products under certain conditions.
“New Jersey’s small businesses shouldn’t have to navigate outdated rules just to serve their customers and grow,” Sherrill said in a statement. “Cocktails to-go worked, customers liked it, and small businesses told us it was another way to bring in revenue. Today, we’re making it permanent.”
The bipartisan legislation making those to-go alcohol changes permanent passed both New Jersey houses in late June.
In addition to restaurants and bars, under the law, other permitted businesses with retail consumption licenses, such as hotels, may also sell alcoholic beverages for delivery and off-site consumption. Deliveries can be made by the licensed business itself, or a permitted third-part delivery company.
New Jersey distilleries, meanwhile, can sell mixed drinks for on-site consumption when the beverages are made using alcohol manufactured on premises. Those businesses can also sell mixed drinks using their own distilled alcohol for off-site consumption, though the beverages must be sold in containers with a tamper-evident seal. And distilleries can also sell their own products accompanied by nonalcoholic beverages and food items that enable customers to make their own mixed drinks.
“During the pandemic, this commonsense policy helped restaurants survive on of the toughest periods in their industry’s history,” said state Sen. Declan O’Scanlon, a Republican from Monmouth County. “I’m proud that the flexibility we gave these businesses will now be permanently available to them with the signing of this law.”
