State relaxes liquor restrictions for Dec. 31
Exception will allow bars to stay open until 2 a.m. for New Year’s holiday
The party at Effex Night Club won’t stop when the clock strikes midnight this Sunday — much to owner Carri Phillis’ relief.
While state liquor law dictates that places like her Downtown Albuquerque bar must close by midnight on Sundays, the Legislature this year codified an exception when New Year’s Eve falls on a Sunday. Bars and certain other alcohol-serving businesses can stay open until 2 a.m., allowing for that 12 a.m. toast and a little subsequent revelry.
“We just want everybody to come and have a
blast; honestly, I’m super excited . ... We can ring in a new year and we don’t have to have everybody out of the building at midnight, because that would’ve really sucked,” Phillis said.
New Year’s Eve means big business for eating and drinking establishments — 9 percent of Americans plan to celebrate this year at a bar, restaurant or organized event, according to WalletHub.
Effex would have hosted New Year’s Eve festivities even without the Liquor Control Act update, Phillis said, though it would likely have involved some concessions — like commemorating the year change at the same time as New York, which would have been only 10 p.m. locally.
“We would’ve tried to figure out a way . ... (But) I’m very grateful the Legislature saw fit to deal with this” earlier this year, she said.
Rep. Jim Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, said he introduced the bill during the 2017 Legislature after some bar owners expressed concerns about 2017 New Year’s Eve closing times. The Senate and House passed it with wide margins, and Gov. Susana Martinez signed it into law.
The bill allows bars and restaurants with full liquor licenses to remain open until 2 a.m. on Mondays that coincide with New Year’s Eve if they are in local option districts, such as Albuquerque, that allow Sunday sales.
Small breweries and craft distilleries also get the extension until 2 a.m. However, the law did not change for restaurants operating with beer and wine licenses, and package liquor sales are still cut off at midnight.
New Mexico Alcohol and Gaming Division Director Mary Kay Root said Trujillo’s bill helped clarify sections of the Liquor Control Act that did not always align. While one part has long allowed bars and liquor-serving restaurants to stay open late enough on Dec. 31 to accommodate midnight toasts, she said, a separate portion said those establishments must close by midnight on Sundays.
The tweak has prompted some confusion — Root said she has fielded calls about the issue “every day for months and months.” Alcohol and Gaming addressed the New Year’s Eve rules in an email bulletin to licensees, posted information on its website and communicated the changes to some of the state’s larger alcohol wholesalers in the hopes they would help spread the news to their accounts.
Kevin Roessler, co-owner of Albuquerque’s Zinc Wine Bar and Bistro, said this week he would seek clarity from state regulators about how the law update would impact the Nob Hill eatery, which has a full liquor license. However, he does not plan to keep Zinc open until 2 a.m. even if he can. In fact, Zinc and its sister establishments, Seasons Rotisserie & Grill and Savoy, never stay open until 2 a.m. though Roessler said the new law might allow Zinc to let New Year’s Eve patrons linger a little past midnight — say 12:15 or 12:30 a.m. — if demand warrants.
“We want to make it a successful and fun evening for everybody; we don’t necessarily want to take it until 2 a.m.” he said. “I don’t think it’s the right call for us.”