House approves Goughnour bill to allow premixed cocktails on tap

Thirty-six other states, including all states that border Pennsylvania apart from Delaware, currently permit premixed cocktail kegs.

The state House passed a bill sponsored by state Rep. Dan Goughnour, D-McKeesport, that would change state liquor laws by allowing businesses with liquor licenses to have premixed cocktails on tap, just like beer.

Current law prevents licensees from storing premixed cocktails, such as margaritas and mojitos, for more than 24 hours. In a statement, Goughnour said that a new product stores these ingredients safely in kegs, and licensees can put them on tap after adding the alcohol.

“These are popular new products, and they will make life easier on businesses with liquor licenses,” Goughnour said. “It’s import ant that we update our liquor laws when we can so that any business— from our local taverns to our world-class sports and concert venues—can stay competitive.”

Goughnour’s bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration. The law defines premixed cocktails as well.

“A beverage prepared on the licensed premises of a retail liquor licensee, in which a nonalcoholic cocktail base, consisting of juices, syrups, bitters, carbonated or noncarbonated water or other flavorings, is combined with liquor in a sealed keg or similar container for the purpose of dispensing cocktails for on-premises consumption using a gas-driven system,” reads the legislation.

According to Goughnour, 36 other states already permit these kegs and are widely visible on tap in sports venues and public arenas nationwide. All states bordering Pennsylvania, apart from Delaware, allow for premixed cocktails.

“House Bill 1702 would define these new products in law and make them available for Pennsylvania liquor licensees,” read Goughnour’s statement. “They are unavailable in the state now because they would need to be disposed of in 24 hours, despite their longer and safer shelf life.”

Some of the benefits of his legislation include a uniform amount of alcohol in each drink and a higher level of sanitation than drinks poured by hand. He added that the bill would also make it easier for licensees to train new employees to pour drinks.

Goughnour’s bill has received bipartisan support in the House with 14 total co-sponsors, which includes 11 Democrats and three Republicans.