The bill passed the Democratic-led state House this week with bipartisan support.
House Bill 1702, a bill that would amend the Liquor Code, recently passed the state House of Representatives.
The bill is sponsored by Representative Dan Goughnour, a Democrat of Allegheny County. It aims to modernize state liquor laws by allowing businesses to serve premixed cocktails on tap.
House Bill 1702 passed with bipartisan support in a vote of 150 to 53. Republican Representatives Craig Williams, Mindy Fee, and Valeria Gaydos cosponsored the legislation.
Under current law, businesses are prevented from serving mixed drinks on tap because they are unable to store the premixed drinks for more than 24 hours due to health and safety reasons.
Goughnour explained that his bill would allow bars to serve the drinks on tap after the alcohol is added, as new products allow the ingredients to be safely stored in kegs.
“These are popular new products, and they will make life easier on businesses with liquor licenses. It’s important 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 said.
There are 36 other states in the U.S. that currently allow premixed drinks to be served from a keg at a business. All states that border Pennsylvania, with the exception of Delaware, currently permit cocktail kegs.
At a Liquor Control Committee meeting earlier in the year, Goughnour explained the benefits of allowing premixed drinks to be dispensed from kegs at bars.
“There’s a uniform amount of alcohol in each drink. There’s a higher level of sanitation than pouring drinks by hand and it makes life easier on businesses. Currently 36 other states allow these drinks and Pennsylvania licenses should be able to join the list.”
