Ready-to-drink cocktails to now be sold alongside beer, wine in Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — Ready-to-drink cocktails will start making their way to Pennsylvania shelves in certain retail outlets that already sell beer and wine.

On Wednesday, July 17, Governor Josh Shapiro signed Senate Bill 688 . The bill allows low alcohol-by-volume (ABV) spirits ready-to-drink cocktails (RTDs) to be sold from certain retail outlets that already sell beer and wine products with the same or lower alcohol contents.

The bill will go into effect on September 15.

“For the first time ever, Pennsylvania’s adult consumers can find their favorite spirits ready-to-drink cocktails alongside beer and wine products in grocery and convenience stores,” Andy Deloney, senior vice president of state government relations at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said. “There is no difference between the alcohol found in a spirits ready-to-drink cocktail and a beer or wine seltzer. We thank the legislature and Governor Shapiro for their support of Pennsylvania consumers and look forward to seeing the continued market growth of spirits RTDs in the commonwealth.”

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This bill will add more than 10,000 new retail outlets that can sell spirits RTDs by allowing these products to be sold from r-license and hotel-license holders that already sell beer and wine products.

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