Booze-delivery service to launch Thursday in Baltimore

You get home from work on a rainy evening, order some Chinese, open the fridge, and, dagnabbit, discover you're all out of beer.

Do you brave the rain and run out to the liquor store? Look over the dregs of your liquor cabinet and Google, "vermouth and sake cocktail"?

Baltimoreans will soon have a new option: an alcohol delivery service called Drizly.

For a $5 delivery fee, users will be able to order wine, beer and liquor through an app or Drizly's web site. The beverages, which will come from one of three local liquor stores, should arrive in about 40 minutes.

Drizly was founded two years ago by a pair of Boston College graduates, Nick Rellas and Justin Robinson, said Bryan Goodwin, the company's vice president of sales.

"They were sitting in their dorm room wondering why they couldn't order alcohol the same way they order an Uber car," said Goodwin.

They were not drunk, Goodwin added.

Drizly started in Boston and New York, and has expanded to serve a dozen cities. The company chose Baltimore because of the high concentration of millennials and a lot of people without cars.

Users must make a minimum purchase of at least $20, but there is no maximum purchase. The service is only available when the stores are open, so there's no point in trying to order more booze at the end of the party.

And, kids, before you whip out that license that Danny down the hall printed for you, Drizly has strict policies. Delivery drivers are equipped with special software to check your ID. They also reserve the right to refuse to deliver alcohol to someone who is intoxicated.

So far, Drizly has partnered with three local liquor stores: Canton Crossing Wine and Spirits, Wine Underground near Hampden, and Dulaney Liquors in Towson. If the service is a hit in Baltimore, they will expand to other cities, Goodwin said.

Oh, and don't forget to tip your delivery person. You'll probably be moved to when that six-pack arrives on a rainy evening.