NYC's Boozy Brunch Crowd Can Now Legally Drink Before Noon

NEW YORK, NY — Boozy brunch just got a little bit boozier in the city. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law on Wednesday moving up the time for Sunday brunch drinks to 10 a.m. instead of the old noon start.

The bill was passed on June 19, but will go into effect this weekend.

"This agreement to overhaul this state's archaic blue laws will build upon these ongoing efforts by knocking down artificial barriers for restaurants and small businesses and helping this industry grow even stronger," Cuomo said in June.

Blue laws were on the books from Prohibition-era lawmakers, mostly Republican Protestants, who were opposed to the vices of the mostly immigrant city. The custom dates back even further, to the country's Protestant origins in the 1700s, when people were encouraged to go to church on Sundays instead of drinking, traveling, or even playing baseball games (illegal until 1919). The laws have slowly fallen away in much of the country.

"Small businesses and consumers throughout the state will greatly benefit from this reform of the state's outdated blue laws that will expand Sunday brunch options and promote the continued success of New York’s service and beverage industries," said State Sen. John Flanagan, Majority Leader, on Wednesday.

By the way, the law also allows businesses to sell wine in growlers, which is sure to become popular in Williamsburg, eliminates some of the hoops craft brewers needed to jump through and reduces fees for wholesale liquor distributors.

But mostly, feel free to order that Bloody Mary at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Photo Credit: Joshua Ganderson via Flickr/Creative Commons