Push to make to-go cocktails permanent gains traction

To-go and delivery orders of alcoholic drinks could become a permanent option for customers under new legislation proposed by Columbus legislators. Ohio House Bill 669 would permit customers at bars, restaurants, wineries, micro-distilleries and small breweries to order take-out cocktails in sealed cups and other alcoholic drinks like wine in their original sealed containers. "This is something we'd be very excited about," said Greg Cordray, co-owner of Medina's Foundry Social and MAD Brewing Company at 333 Foundry Street. "We've brought in a mixologist from Chicago in anticipation of our reopening and have even considered the idea of having to-go mixes, where someone could take all of the drink ingredients home and put them together themselves." Foundry Social, MAD Brewing Company, and Cordray's other business in the building, High Voltage Karting, are set to reopen at noon Friday, and Foundry Social will debut a brand new patio. Delivery of drinks and cocktails would also be permanently opened under HB 669 through services like DoorDash once such companies gain approval from state liquor authorities. While Gov. Mike DeWine's executive order from April allowed establishments to sell up to two alcoholic drinks per takeout or delivery meal, HB 669 would mandate no such limits. However, a 1.5-liter liquor limit per customer would remain in place for micro-distilleries. The new bill would allow establishments to set up outdoor drinking areas on their property and in adjacent areas as long as it comes with the consent of that property's owner. "As far as safety, people can already walk into a grocery or liquor store and buy a drink and open that drink in their car if they're dead set on doing that," Cordray said. "Whoever is going to follow the law and be responsible is going to be the same either way. It doesn't change just because they can get a to-go drink at a bar." HB 669 was introduced by Ohio Reps. Jeff LaRe, R-Fairfield County, and D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron. The legislation also includes provisions that would let it take effect immediately if passed by two-third majorities in the Ohio General Assembly and signed by DeWine. Ernie Joy, owner of Wadsworth Brewing Company, 126 Main St., Wadsworth, is preparing to open a nearby wine bar and cocktail lounge that he says would benefit greatly from passage of the bill. "It's going to be called Unwined and go in a couple doors down here on Main Street," he said. "We're hoping for mid- to late-July for that. We're hoping for, at the very least, is that existing permits will be able to continue. If this new bill opens up even more, it would allow our new location to sell wine by the bottle to go, which we wouldn't have been able to do before. "The ability to sell beer to go has been great for us as far as revenue during all of this. We haven't done a whole lot of wine or cider to-go here at Wadsworth Brewing Company. It's something we want to do at the new place but, with the way permit laws work in Ohio, it wouldn't be an option. It's a large amount of revenue that could be opened up." Concerns over that additional revenue as the bar and restaurant industry grapples with the slow return of customers are being highlighted by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a national trade association representing producers and marketers of domestic distilled liquor products. Chief of public policy Christine LoCascio said any new revenue streams will prove vital amid capacity limits and ongoing fears among customers in regards to returning to sit-down establishments. "The restaurant industry will not be able to just flip a switch and go back to how things were pre-COVID," she said. "We're seeing that as states are reopening. They won't be able to go back to normal for some time. Certainly, having the ability to sell cocktails to-go has been working very well. We're hearing from restaurants across the U.S. about how much this is helping them and that it's something they support having moving forward." Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia are currently allowing establishments to sell cocktails to-go, bottled spirits to-go, or both. Washington, D.C. and 18 states have permitted drink delivery while D.C. and 12 states have opened up curbside pickup. Earlier this month, New Jersey passed legislation similar to Ohio's HB 669. Illinois has passed its own version of the measure and is awaiting final approval from Gov. J.B. Pritzger. In addition to Ohio, bills are being considered in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, and Washington, D.C. "These products are intended for home consumption and, obviously, no one should be consuming alcohol while driving," said LoCascio. "There's a way to do this responsibly that works for everyone. We are recommending that cocktails to-go remain sealed and have worked with an organization called TIPS that's providing strategies and guidelines to help ensure safe sales, in compliance with any liquor laws." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.