It’s Official: Houston Bars Can Now Sell Mixed Drinks to Go

Drinkers, rejoice: Over the weekend, Texas governor Greg Abbott issued a statutory waiver that allows cocktail bars and other booze-focused establishments to sell cocktails to-go for the first time ever.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission announced on Saturday that it would allow cocktail bars to sell drinks to go, with plenty of stipulations about how those cocktails can be legally served to customers. Alcoholic drinks can only be sold alongside food orders, must be served in “closed or sealed” containers that are then placed inside zip-tied bags, and must be made at the bar. The rules also stipulate that cocktails and other alcoholc beverages should be transported from the bar to home in the trunk or other “non-passenger” areas of the vehicle.

Abbott’s waiver was welcomed by cocktail bar owners, many of whom are frustrated by being shut down a second time as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. On Friday, Abbott issued an order requiring bars to close their doors by noon, a decision that came only a few weeks after bars were allowed to reopen at limited capacity. Restaurants were also included in the order, and will be required to reduce capacity to 50 percent starting on Monday, June 29.

• Texas Restaurants and Bars Can Finally Make and Sell Mixed Drinks To-Go Legally [EATX]