To-Go Cocktails Coming To NYC 'Very Soon,' Hochul Says

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Gov. Kathy Hochul knows New Yorkers need a drink.

The governor announced Wednesday she's already begun pursuing the "most popular item in her entire budget" — making pandemic-era takeout cocktails permanent in New York City.

"The one thing that went viral was to-go drinks," Hochul said at a press conference at Bed-Stuy's Therapy Wine Bar 2.0. "You gotta love New York, right?"

The State Liquor Authority is currently working on "processing and reviewing" specific regulations to make permanent to-go alcohol a reality and Hochul predicts her proposal, which is included in her budget, will be ironed out "very soon," she said Wednesday.

Takeout booze is among several new liquor laws Hochul has championed as a way to help restaurants and bars recover from the pandemic.

"We saw that this was a critical revenue stream," Hochul said about to-go booze. "This is what kept people afloat during the dark, dark months and years of the pandemic."

Hochul's budget also proposes an extra $2 million for the liquor authority to address a 3,700-application backlog of liquor licenses.

A law signed by Hochul in December allows temporary liquor licenses for those waiting on the backlog — including Therapy Wine Bar, which received a temporary license in February after waiting four months for their regular license to be processed.

The governor also signed a law in January that expands which movie theaters can serve alcohol.

The governor first unveiled her support for new liquor laws in her State of the State address and included it in a 2023 budget proposal in January.

Despite overwhelming support from New Yorkers, liquor stores have strongly pushed back on the idea, contending it would "threaten the livelihood" of their industry, the Metropolitan Package Store Association said in a statement in February.

The city's hospitality industry has long supported bringing back to-go drinks.

"New York’s restaurant industry has been devastated by the pandemic," NYC Hospitality Alliance Executive Director Andrew Rigie said Wednesday.

"It’s necessary to reinstate the popular drinks to go policy that provides struggling businesses an important revenue stream while giving New Yorkers what they want."