Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was ironically the first to be denied an alcoholic beverage under a new state law expanding access to canned cocktails, reports Elizabeth Crisp for The Hill.

During an event at Rutter’s convenience store in Central PA, the 51-year-old Abington native tried to purchase Surfside tea and vodka but was refused because he forgot his ID.

The new law, signed by Shapiro earlier this year, allows convenience and grocery stores to sell ready-to-drink canned cocktails. This is a significant move from the state’s prohibition-era law that required liquor beverages to be purchased from state stores. 

Now stores can sell up to 16-ounce drinks with an alcohol content of up to 12.5 percent – once they obtain a special permit. The law also extends to restaurants and hotels.

“This is what real freedom looks like,” Shapiro said. “And we did it in a way that protects taxpayers and supports our state workers.”

Shapiro also used the occasion to advocate for the legalization of recreational cannabis, stating that Pennsylvanians are traveling out of state to purchase marijuana.

The Commonwealth has had a stranglehold on liquor sales and is the country’s largest single liquor purchaser. This new law is a popular policy for Shapiro and the first move toward looser liquor restrictions. In 2015, then-Governor Wolf vetoed a bill to privatize liquor sales.

Read more about Governor Shapiro and the new liquor laws at The Hill.

Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on MONTCO Today in September 2024.