While my husband and I not alcoholics, we do enjoy a glass of wine or beer at the end of the day. I just read that there is no alcohol within so many kilometers of Rishikesh. Can anyone confirm that? What about Haridwar? Does that just mean in restaurants or can one buy a bottle of wine for one's room? Thanks.

I just checked with my daughter and she said alcohol and non- vegetarian food are prohibited in both towns, as they are considered holy. Guess you'll have to smuggle in a bottle in your bags!

If you decide to stay in the 'Glasshouse of Ganges' a neemrana property, some 15 miles above Rishikesh, you shall be served non-veg food. They do not have a bar, but you can carry your bottle & have a drink right on the banks of the river Ganges, around a bonfire. The hotel is set in a Lichee orchard, running alongside the silvery beach.
Things are more difficult in Haridwar, though.
Happy Travels!

Thanks for your responses. Am I to assume that you can carry liquor into those towns and consume it in your rooms? I read somewhere that one's bags are inspected at the border, entering the state.

Nobody bothers about a couple of bottles, that you may carry with yourself. No one checks your baggage at the interstate boundaries and no excise inspector will dare to accost a foriegner, as such behaviour brings in the embassy & questions raised in the parliament. Yes, it is not advisable to carry large quantities in your car.
Enjoy your drink!