CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — To-go alcohol is now permanent in Colorado.
Governor Jared Polis (D) first gave the green light for to-go alcohol during the pandemic in 2020.
The Colorado Restaurant Association says that year, restaurants lost more than $3 billion in revenue. They say the vast majority of restaurants have relied on to-go drinks to help with the revenue dip. The law was set to end in 2021, then again in 2025, and now, it's set to stick around for good.
“We are known as Mexican comfort food,” said the president and COO of Los Dos Potrillos, Luis Ramirez.
To wash it all down at any of the six locations of Los Dos Potrillos, of course, takes a fresh margarita.
“We press and juice all the fruit daily,” said Ramirez.
Ramirez remembers exactly what happened when they first heard about to-go alcohol’s authorization in 2020.
“In that moment, we were just so excited, start pouring, start pouring, start pouring,” Ramirez said. “We made over 100 margaritas within the first 20 minutes, and they were gone in two hours. It was amazing.”
Hearing to-go alcohol would be permanently allowed moving forward brought a new wave of excitement.
“It's great, you know. We are super excited,” Ramirez said. “We have set a new standard since Covid, that's been the standard since, when we allowed alcohol, and now the standard is permanent. The CRA (Colorado Restaurant Association) helped write the bill and push it through, so that was huge. Getting people who are actually in the industry and their perspective for our legislators.”
Ramirez said most of the to-go orders are packed with a drink.
You can take home up to:
- 1.5 liters of wine
- 1 liter of spirits liquor
- 144 ounces of beer
It's comfort food, with a kick, right from your own couch.
“It's just an extension of our dining room, an extension of our hospitality, you know,” Ramirez said. “You get Los Dos at home.”
More reporting by Lauren Scafidi:
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