In New York City, spring 2020 tastes a bit like plastic.
That's because the drink of the season happens to be anything in a to-go cup — much like the one that I, on a recent Wednesday, found myself holding during a walk through my Upper East Side neighborhood.
I'm not a teenager trying to sneak alcohol into the movies. Nor am I a spring breaker trying to discreetly drink on the beach. I'm just a New Yorker trying to escape the walls of her apartment and the anxiety taking over her brain in a pandemic world.
Bars and restaurants may have temporarily shuttered their doors in the city, but their windows have, of late, been open for business. New York is one of many states that have temporarily lifted or relaxed restrictions on selling to-go cocktails to help these struggling businesses survive, wrote Business Insider's Anthony L. Fisher.
Per Fisher, the guidelines state that these beverage sales are to be accompanied by a food purchase, but some restaurants just put a food item on the receipt or give a "nod or a wink." Open-container laws haven't changed, but they've all but unofficially dissipated since cocktails on-the go can be imbibed without uncorking anything.
My roommate and I took advantage of the take-out happy hour in our neighborhood on a sunny, late May day. Numero 28 Pizzeria beckoned us with a springtime facade of greenery and roses, a carefully curated display of beers, and splashy signs for spritz, sangria, and shots.
I talked my beer-loving roommate into getting a sangria with me for $9 a pop (a steal in NYC). They were delivered to us in lidded coffee cups. We heeded the the city's "take out, don't hang out" rule and avoided lingering in front of the restaurant. But we did walk the long route home, taking in the sights and wondering if our surprisingly strong sangrias were infused with vodka.
During our walk, we passed by a lot of people with coffee cups. Restaurants and bars had signs out front calling for thirsty customers on nearly every block.
The take-out drink guidelines expired on May 28, but they may be around for a while longer. A new state bill proposed last week would extend booze take-out and delivery services for two years.
The businesses badly need the revenue, and the people want their booze. If the bill is extended, it's likely the drink of the spring will turn into the drink of the summer — a departure from the drinks of summers past that trended toward the "healthy" and the Instagrammable, like rosé and spiked seltzer.
Picking up a to-go cocktail isn't the same as soaking up the rays of longer days on an overpriced NYC rooftop with my friends. And it's not a perfect solution: Some of the places I passed had several face-masked patrons idling out front, which did present a threat to social distancing.
But on the bright side, I was able to get a cocktail for the bargain price of $9, and I didn't have to push my way through a crowded bar to do it. It gave me something to look forward to, and it brought a bit of near normalcy back into my day. And walking around with my portable cocktail with nowhere to go and no one to see forced me to accomplish the very thing New Yorkers are so infamously bad at: slowing down.
