Get your cocktails to go at these Olympia eateries

Missing your favorite drink? Or yearning to sample a new one?

As of May 6 — when the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board passed a new emergency regulation — you can buy not only cocktail kits but also pre-mixed cocktails to go.

“It’s important for people’s sanity to be able to have the full experience at home,” said Joe Rumberger, the chef at Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar, which is offering pre-mixed cocktails as well as kits. “It’s nice that we’re allowed to do that now. It’s a cool experience when you get your big bag of goodies … and there’s a really cool cocktail and really tasty food.”

Also among the other local restaurants offering or planning to offer ready-made cocktails are Dillinger’s Cocktails & Kitchen, Octapas Café and Three Magnets Brewing Co.

Thirsty? Among the options at Octapas are the Viva la Piña (pineapple-infused rum, Amargo de Chile liqueur, lime and pineapple) and Chai Rockets in Flight (rye, chai, lemon, ginger and orange bitters), while Chelsea Farms has such choices as the Gangster’s Paradise (bourbon, matcha, lemon and mint) and the Lavender Drop (citrus vodka, lavender-honey syrup and lemon).

For those who are really thirsty, Three Magnets is selling its concoctions, including the Coco-Cachaça (cachaça, coconut milk, half and half and baking spices), in two-liter bottles.

Note that the Liquor Board hasn’t gone completely wild: The new regulation applies only while the shelter-in-place order is in effect. And the drinks must be sold only with full meals and in lidded containers with no holes for sipping or straws.

This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 7:00 AM.