As of Monday, Pennsylvanians finally have what Gov. Josh Shapiro has called “real freedom” — the freedom to buy canned cocktails from a wider variety of retailers.

Under bipartisan legislation (Senate Bill 688) signed by the governor in July, about 12,000 restaurants, bars, beer distributors, grocery stores and gas stations that are licensed to sell alcohol now can get a special permit to stock so-called “ready-to-drink” cocktails.

The initial application fee is $2,500 per business.

Until now, only state-owned Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores could carry canned cocktails.

However, several restrictions apply. Eligible drinks must have an alcohol content lower than 12.5% and cannot exceed 16 ounces. Furthermore, canned cocktails cannot be sold after 11 p.m.

Ready-to-drink cocktails are a booming market in Pennsylvania, with some analysts projecting the state to reap $35 million a year in related revenue by the 2028-29 fiscal year.

In other alcohol-related legislation, bars and restaurants as of Friday were permitted to extend their happy hours.

Under HB 829, signed by Shapiro in July, bars now are able to host 10 more hours of discounted drink times — going from 14 to 24. The law also permits establishments with liquor licenses to offer food and drink deals.

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