Illinois' Pandemic-Era Cocktails-To-Go Law Now Permanent

As of July 1st, an already existing law will be permanent in Illinois.

Getting cocktails-to-go in Illinois has been a thing for years, going into effect during the pandemic. Now, it's official the option isn't going anywhere in Illinois.

Among the set of Illinois laws that begin on July 1st, Senate Bill 618 makes the law allowing cocktails-to-go permanent in the state and was signed by Governor Pritzker. It allows bars and restaurants to sell mixed drinks and cocktails for carryout, curbside pickup, and delivery.

The cocktails-to-go law was set to expire in 2024 before it was extended to 2028, and now it's been made permanent indefinitely.

The Illinois Liquor Control Commission allows single servings of wine, cocktails, and mixed drinks to-go under these conditions:

May not be sold or delivered by an employee under 21
Cannot be sold or delivered without age verification
Drinks must be in a sealed, tamper-evident container
Drinks cannot be on the passenger seat or passenger floorboard
Delivery must be from the restaurant/bar, not a third-party delivery service
Container must be labeled with the name of the drink, alcohol used in it, and date showing when it was filled which must be less than 7 days before the sale

Restaurants/bars with the proper license can sell the cocktails-to-go, and depending on the location and license, the drinks can be sold along with food orders.

Illinois' cocktails-to-go policy was put into place in June 2020. It was designed to help support bars and restaurants that were struggling during the pandemic.