Pennsylvania House Bill HB1702

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 7/7/25
• Refer: 7/7/25
• Refer: 7/9/25
• Report Pass: 9/10/25
• Refer: 10/7/25
• Report Pass: 10/8/25
• Engrossed: 10/8/25
• Refer: 10/15/25

Caption

In preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions; and, in licenses and regulations, liquor, alcohol and malt and brewed beverages, further providing for unlawful acts relative to liquor, alcohol and liquor licensees.

Summary

HB1702 amends Pennsylvania’s Liquor Code to create a specific definition for a “ready-to-draft pre-mixed keg cocktail” and to clarify that the Liquor Code’s definition of “manufacture” does not include a retail licensee’s blending and overnight storage of that type of product. The bill describes these cocktails as beverages prepared on a licensed retail premises by combining a nonalcoholic cocktail base with liquor in a sealed keg or similar container for dispensing through a gas-driven system for on-premises consumption. The bill also amends the section on unlawful acts to make clear that the term “other similar receptacles” does not include kegs or containers used to make ready-to-draft pre-mixed keg cocktails. In practical terms, the measure appears intended to remove ambiguity in the Liquor Code and allow certain licensed establishments to prepare and serve keg-based premixed cocktails without being treated as unlawfully manufacturing alcohol or using prohibited receptacles under existing law.

Impact

HB1702 would modify the Liquor Code’s definitions and enforcement provisions, affecting licensed retail liquor establishments, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, and regulators interpreting what counts as manufacturing alcohol or using prohibited containers. It would create an express statutory carveout for ready-to-draft pre-mixed keg cocktails, likely expanding operational flexibility for bars and restaurants that serve cocktails on draft while preserving existing restrictions on alcohol production and container use outside that narrow context.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad support in the House process reflected in the voting record. It was reported from the House Liquor Control Committee unanimously and later passed the House floor by a substantial margin, though not unanimously, suggesting general approval of the clarification and the business flexibility it provides. The absence of recorded committee discussion makes it difficult to identify detailed arguments, but the votes indicate the measure was viewed favorably overall.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is whether allowing premixed cocktails in kegs or similar containers could blur the line between retail service and alcohol manufacturing, or create enforcement and regulatory concerns for the Liquor Control Board. Opponents, if any, would likely focus on licensing, oversight, and whether the new carveout could be used to circumvent existing restrictions on alcohol preparation and storage. Supporters appear to favor the bill as a technical clarification that modernizes service options for licensed establishments and resolves uncertainty in the current code.