By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com
A measure that ties bars and restaurants’ ability to return to selling cocktails-to-go to a more controversial expansion of consumer access to liquor-based ready-to-drink cocktails won Senate approval on Wednesday.
By a narrow 26-24 vote, the chamber passed a Senate-amended bill that would allow increasingly popular liquor-based ready-to-drink cocktails to be sold in grocery stores, convenience stores, beer distributors, restaurants and bars.
That was added to a House-passed measure intended to help bars and restaurants recover from their COVID-19 pandemic-related financial hardships by permanently allowing them to sell up to a gallon of cocktails-to-go along with temporarily allowing expanded outdoor dining areas and other relief measures.
The measure now goes back to the House of Representatives for approval of the Senate changes. It was unclear on Wednesday afternoon if that chamber intended to consider it.
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