Oregon Legislature makes ‘cocktails to-go’ permanent

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers have passed a bill allowing the sale of cocktails to-go to continue after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that Senate Bill 317, which allows licensed establishments to sell “mixed drinks and single servings of wine in sealed containers for off-premises consumption,” previously passed the Oregon Senate. It cleared the House Tuesday by a vote of 51-7. The bill now moves to Gov. Kate Brown.

As new coronavirus restrictions brought drinking and dining to a standstill across America in March 2020, many states rushed to overturn laws banning takeout cocktail sales, many of which had been on the books since Prohibition.  

Sponsored by Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Springfield, and Rep. Rob Nosse, D-Portland, the new bill means Oregon will join around 15 states and the District of Columbia in making cocktails to-go permanent.