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With restaurants and bars closed all around the country as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, virtual happy hours have all but taken over as a regular part of our daily lives. In some cases, it's the only socialization we’ll see all week outside of work! Needless to say, the desire for alcohol delivery has never been more in demand.
To help curb any unnecessary alcohol runs and to help you adhere to social distancing guidelines, I've tracked down a list of places that will bring the booze to you. With these services, you can have everything, from your spirits and mixers to your wine and glassware, dropped off at your front door.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is "likely very low risk of spread from food products or packaging," but you'll still want to be sure you're following proper precautions when handling delivered items or accepting deliveries from couriers. You'll also want to make sure the service you choose is available for delivery in your area, as many states have restrictions about shipping alcohol across state lines.
Here are eight popular alcohol delivery services, plus all the details on how they work and whether they're available for local delivery, so you can find the best service to stock your mini fridge for your next virtual "date" night with friends.
Hopsy
No bar? No problem.
Beer fanatics will rejoice over Hopsy, which allows you to enjoy craft beer on tap—yes, tap!—from the comfort of your home with its Krups SUB Home Tap system. This countertop beer machine sits on your countertop, just like a Keurig, and works with Hopsy's accompanying mini-kegs (67 ounces of beer) to allow for fresh draft beer pours.
You can make a one-time purchase of the home tap and four mini-kegs for $110 (normally $280), or you can sign up for one of two memberships: hassle-free ($51), which includes the same machine and mini-keg combo and can be canceled at any time, or one with a three-month commitment of six mini-kegs at $15 each, for which the home tap is free. If Hopsy doesn't deliver in your area, you can sign up for the company's waiting list to get an alert when statuses change.
2. Winc
Become a wine connoisseur with this savvy service.
Winc is a wine membership club that wants to help you to become a vino connoisseur. After taking a six-question quiz to learn about your palate profile, the company will be able to tailor a four-bottle wine box for you of all reds, all whites, two reds and two whites, three reds and one white, or three whites and one red (vegan options are also available).
Prices begin at $13 per bottle, though new members will get $20 off their first order. You can also edit your box if there’s an included selection you don’t care for. Each month thereafter, you’ll be charged $60 for alcohol credits, though you can choose to skip the monthly membership charge or cancel at any time. These credits never expire, and you can use them to stock up with cases of premium wine or to pick up a single bottle of a new varietal you want to try. Warning: Shipping adds a flat rate $9 fee.
Shop for wine at Winc
3. Cocktail Courier
These kits have everything you'll need to make your favorite drink like a pro.
These kits have everything you'll need to make your favorite drink like a pro. Missing the way your favorite bartender mixes up your margarita? Check out Cocktail Courier—the next best thing to having one come to your home to whip you up a drink. Fancy a margarita? Order one of the site’s 30 available cocktail kits, which come packed with all the ingredients you’ll need to make your drink of choice for two, six, or 12 people (though the latter probably won’t be of much use while you’re social distancing). You’ll also get a recipe card with plus step-by-step instructions on how to perfect your drink from some of the country’s best bartenders.
While bar tools and glassware are not included, you can buy them separately on Cocktail Courier’s website to arrive with your order. You can even sign up to get kits on a regular basis: Weekly, biweekly, or monthly subscription options are available with a focus on your spirit of choice. While delivery is available to the 48 contiguous states, kit ingredients are fulfilled by local retailers, so it may show as unavailable if your preferred item is out of stock in your area.
Shop for alcohol at Cocktail Courier
4. Postmates
Shop the selection at your local virtual liquor store.
If there’s one alcohol delivery service you’re likely already familiar with, it’s Postmates. Here, customers in select cites across the U.S. can peruse a selection of wine, spirits, beer from local liquor retailers in their area. Heck, for the $5 delivery fee, they’ll even bring you the lime for your tequila! While prices will vary by state, they start around $8 for a six-pack of Bud Light, which you can order through the company’s app or desktop.
Couriers are engaging in no-contact delivery in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and the company has even set up a relief fund to help cover checkups and other medical expenses for any workers who might test positive. Workers suffering from illness will also receive two weeks of paid sick leave.
5. Saucey
Price compare your favorite liquors.
While Saucey works much like Postmates, fulfilling orders that have been ordered online or through its app via local liquor stores, it has a slight edge in the variety department. Rather than ordered a standard case of Bud Light, for instance, you can choose anything from a single 25-ounce can to a 30-pack, with every size in between. You can also compare prices at different retailers, so you’ll be sure you’re getting the best deal on your order. There’s also no delivery fee to speak of. The one drawback? The delivery availability. Currently, Saucey is only available in 15 major cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Orlando, and Washington D.C.
6. Drizly
They've got your garnishes, too.
They've got your garnishes, too. Serving 26 states, including most major cities, Drizly is another alcohol delivery service that partners with local liquor retailers in order to get your beer or cocktail in hand—and quickly. In addition to shopping your standard tequilas, gins, and the like, you can also browse ready-to-drink selections. That means you'll have a pre-mixed drink ready to go once your courier arrives. If you prefer to be your own amateur mixologist, Drizly will also deliver your mixers, ice, and garnishes, so you can take care of everything in one shebang.
While you can typically count on the website to deliver your booze in an hour or less, the site is currently experiencing a surge of orders that’s causing delays, so note that your estimated time of arrival may currently be inaccurate.
7. Wired for Wine
Hard-to-find wines just got a whole lot easier to track down.
Have a taste for something… specific? If your run-of-the-mill wine selection simply won’t do, check out Wired for Wine, where you’ll find hard-to-locate and top-rated wine in just about every varietal you can think of. There's also a nice sake and spirits selection—you can even order bubbly for a Sunday morning mimosa. While you can buy items à la carte at reasonable prices, shipping is steep for single-item purchases (starting at $19), so you’ll be better off buying in bulk orders of six or more to nab free shipping.
A membership to the service is also available, with 12 bottles of red, white, or mixed wines making their way to you in one-time shipments or every three months. You’ll want to note that shipment will not be available in certain states, however, as mandated by state regulations for out-of-state retailers.
Shop for alcohol at Wired for Wine
8. Flaviar
Discover new favorites with this nifty service.
When the soft stuff just won’t cut it, Flaviar has got you covered. Billing itself as a “golden ticket to the world of spirits,” the company is a members-only club that costs $25-$32 per month, depending on your billing preferences. It offers “rare and mysterious spirits” for you to try, either at your leisure with a one-off purchase of whiskey, bourbon, rum, gin, and the like. You can also give these liquors a go with its quarterly tasting box. Inside each one, you’ll get three 1.5-ounce vials of booze, a concrete coaster and tasting instructions. As if that wasn't exciting enough, you'll get one full-size bottle of the liquor of your choice each quarter. The one dealbreaker? Shipment is only available in select states (see a list of exclusions here).
