What you Need to Know About Serving Liquor in New Mexico

Selling and serving alcoholic drinks is not as simple as sale of other beverages such as lemonade, cola, fruit juice and coffee. The businesses in this practice must seek a New Mexico liquor license for sale and get it transferred to their name before they start generating revenue from sale or serving of liquor.

Restaurant, bar and resort owners often ask questions with reference to this trade. Some of the common ones have been answered here:

Will it be wrong if I serve alcohol without a license or using a recently expired license?

Yes.  Furthermore, if your liquor license expires, the 30 day grace period to replace it does NOT apply to your business. This grace period is applicable only to the businesses that are either new or recently started selling / serving liquor and never had a license earlier. Therefore, if your license is about to expire, it is advisable to get it renewed before the actual expiry date.

During what hours can I serve and sell alcohol in New Mexico?

Through weekdays & on Saturdays: With a restaurant liquor license (for wine and beer), the hours of operations are between 7:00 am and 11:00 pm or until food serving stops �" whichever is earlier

For other types of licenses, the sale in NM is permitted between 7:00 am and midnight for package liquor sales and between 7:00 am and 2:00 am for consumption on the business site.

Are there any customers who I am not allowed to serve?

Businesses that sell or serve alcohol in NM are not permitted to serve it to minors even if they are accompanied by adult parents or friend/spouse of 21 years or older. Also, they cannot sell it to any intoxicated person.

In no circumstances can minors buy, have, be served, or drink alcoholic drinks on premises holding any liquor license in New Mexico.

As per the rules by Alcohol and Gaming Division, no licensed business can sell, serve, procure or help in procurement of alcoholic drinks to a person who is already intoxicated. This is when the licensee can make out that the person is visibly intoxicated.

Both the actual server and the owner of the licensed business can be named in a case where liquor was served to minors or intoxicated people. There are penalties for this offence, the details for which can be found from any agency that helps in getting different types of liquor licenses in the state.

What information do I need to check while looking at the ID of customers asking for liquor from my shop /store /restaurant /resort / hotel?

-    Check the Date of Birth to know the age of the buyer
-    See that the photo given on the ID document actually matches the face of the consumer
-    Ensure that the ID card / document is duly signed
-    Check for state specific qualifications on the ID

You may have a dispensary license New Mexico or any other license type to facilitate the sale / serving of liquor from your business site, it is important to comply with the rules lest you run the risk of losing of your license and may also malign your business repute.

Author's Note

Liquor License New Mexico is a team of experienced professionals who offer full support to their clients in procuring liquor licenses in New Mexico. We simplify the seemingly complex process of applying for these licenses and remove all big and small hurdles that trouble the applicants. To know more about our services https://www.liquorlicensenewmexico.com