Are Unlimited Alcoholic Drinks Legal in New York State?

Have you been to a place say in Las Vegas or Atlantic City where you walk in, pay one price, and then you can drink all you want for say two or three hours? Have you ever found a similar situation while you are in New York State? Probably not.

In fact, the New York State Liquor Authority has made it so you will probably never find this type of situation in a retail establishment. Does that mean you will never encounter this while in NYS? Not exactly. 

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So when in New York and where will you find an unlimited drink special type alcohol service?

According to the New York State Liquor Authority (SLA), the only times you will be able to walk into a place and get unlimited drinks for a certain amount of time (open bar) is a place like a wedding, a banquet, or other private function. The key here is that it is not a retail establishment like a bar or restaurant, which the SLA considers to be 'on-premise.'

What does the NYS SLA have to say about whether or not unlimited drinks at a bar or restaurant are legal?

The NYS SLA says that all liquor license holders can not legally, offer one of the following selling, serving, delivering or offering to patrons an unlimited number of drinks during any set period of time for a fixed price....This includes offerings of free drinks, or multiple drinks for free or for the price of a single drink, or for a low initial price followed by a price increment per hour or other period of time. 

Is there any special pricing on alcoholic drinks that the New York State Liquor Authority actually says is legal in a bar or restaurant?

Yes, two-for-one drinks are legal. Also legal, buy one get one half price, as long as the 'sale price' is no less than half of the original price of the drink. Is it confusing? Depends on who's paying for the drinks.

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