If you are looking for the best cocktail bars in Sacramento, where you can chill with your friends and family and enjoy some of the most delicious cocktails, then you have come to the right place.
So on this page, you’ll find the official shortlist of the best cool bars in Sacramento. (More in-depth further below)
Cocktails are the building blocks of a good bar; hence, if the bar is not serving quality cocktails, it will not flourish. These cocktails have a huge science behind them. The art of making one is quite complicated; hence, bars have employed skilled bartenders who know which type of ingredients to experiment with, with any particular spirit. Moreover, the type of glass used also depends on the drink served. Not only this, there are specialized and dedicated ice designs and styles that are to be used by bartenders for specific beverages. This is why we say that unless a bar has a professional bartender who knows all of this, the bar will not flourish.
7. The Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar Sacramento
The Red Rabbit Kitchen and bar is one of the best bars if you want a quality cocktail in Sacramento. This bar offers a host of different menu items which will make you drool. The cocktails are handcrafted, so you get the best bang for your buck. Apart from this, the bar offers around four different menus. There is a bar menu, happy hour menu, dinner menu, and brunch menu. We will discuss them in detail, so you know what to order when visiting this bar.
This bar is very community focused and aims to give back to it as well. The profit margins are divided equally among the employees so that they get the full benefit of a full house which also means that the staff and the owners are a tightly knit community who wish to see this place succeed and work hard for it! Moreover, all the items they use are sourced locally, not just the ingredients, which means that they support and promote the local industry and the community. This place also boasts that all of their syrups are homemade, from traditional recipes, and only in small batches to ensure the quality isn’t affected. Moreover, all of their juices are fresh, squeezed when they need to be used, and not stored in refrigerators for days and days, unlike most places you go to these days.
Moreover, the beer is also displayed through six different taps. The beer is local as well as imported. Apart from this, the wine list is very diverse and includes wines from nearby regions.
There are regular happy hours at this bar where you can get artisan drinks and cocktails for as low as $7. Some drinks we recommend are the White Linen, Dark & Stormy, Sazerac, Martinez, Old Fashioned, and El Diablo. Moreover, you can also order different white, red, and rose wines and craft beer.
6. Shady Lady Saloon Bar Sacramento
Shady Lady Saloon is one of those saloons which takes you on an incredible journey as soon as you step into the premises. Almost all of these bars can serve craft cocktails, and most of them have good music and rooftops, but there is something most of these bars lack, which is character. Shady Lady Saloon is one of those few bars you will visit in your life that you will not forget. The owners of this excellent bar have used lights, décor, and other things to recreate a lost era, the era of 1920s American Bars. The ambiance is hence great and transports you right back in time. This bar offers craft cocktails and only the most finely brewed beer on its menu as it operates seven days a week so that you can go anytime you want. However, we recommend you make a reservation if you go on weekends.
The cocktails over at this bar are made with only the freshest of ingredients sourced locally and imported. The herbs are fresh off the market, and all the juices are squeezed freshly for the best experience possible. Moreover, this place is an upscale bar; hence the bartenders are experts in their art. They know the best ways to make these stirred and shaken cocktails and keep you entertained. This place not only serves only the best cocktails, but another you can not complain about is the food. The food is given special attention to detail and is made in-house by experienced chefs who know their work.
Moreover, this bar also has live music evenings where you can expect to listen to local greats, and upcoming talents play music and help you to relax. The exotic bar is well thought out; hence, even with so much going on, you do not feel clustered or rushed. The vibe is very peaceful, making you want to stay much longer than you intended to!
5. Hook and Ladder Bar Sacramento
This bar is all about Sacramento’s history, as this place knows how to boast the rich history of this town. Hook and Ladder predominately offer the freshest produce in California and nearby areas. They offer the best California offers regarding beers, among other things. They have revolutionized the popularity of Californian beer in the area. Hook and Ladder aim to grow and show the city’s people how much California and Sacramento have to offer. This bar helps the community a lot as well. The ingredients, juices, spirits, and drinks are primarily sourced locally to help support the struggling farmers and hardworking breweries and distilleries working day and night to make some of the best beer in the region.
This place is open seven days a week, so you can come and enjoy the best of what Sacramento has to offer with your friends while getting educated about the city’s rich past and its role in the industrial revolution since the owners are very passionate about their hometown and rightly so!
The lunch menu is fantastic as it offers a lot of different comfort food items and delicacies. Garlic shrimp, fried chicken sandwich, and flatbread are some of the best menu items, which would pair amazingly well with your cocktails. There are several craft cocktails we would recommend you try, some of which include Epitaph for a peach, Naked Lunch, Beloved, Old Sport, the Mars Room, and this side of paradise, among others. Most of these cocktails are made from fantastic quality tequila, gin, and other juices and syrups, which are also homemade. Furthermore, this bar offers a wide selection of wines, which include white, red, and sparkling wines. Many different types of beers are also available, including canned and draft beers!
4. Grange Restaurant & Bar Sacramento
Grange Restaurant and bar is known for its fine dining food and beautiful cocktails, which are the work of master bartenders who understand the importance of presentation skills and put their blood and sweat into their work. This is one of those bars you can go to if you are feeling peckish but want a casual fine dining experience and a diverse drink selection that you get the most bang for your buck. This place is located in one of the most famous hotels in downtown Sacramento and no wonder it has earned Michelin Star recognition. You will find the most elite class of people in this unique bar, which mesmerizes its guests with the beautiful décor, exposed concrete beams, costly architecture, and furniture that feels great to the touch, among other things. This place will help you to forget all your troubles as it wraps you into its luxurious ambiance.
This bar has eleven unique cocktails in its arsenal, which are a favorite among the people who visit here on a daily. Some of those cocktails include making me corny, Banana Slug, Fineapple, Scovillian, Social butterfly, Tusk, and Time of peaches. Most of these cocktails are made up of either imported or fine quality local spirits like gin, tequila, and vodka, along with some other natural herbs and extracts to give it that wow factor. These cocktails are priced at $16-$18, which is typical for a fine dining eatery such as this. Several beers are available, most of which are canned but are from renowned brands. Without wine, and drink list is complete when you go to a bar. Hence this bar has a detailed menu mentioning the different types of red, white, and sparkling wines it offers. You can also get specialized chardonnay, which is a house favorite!
3. Ella Dining room and Bar Sacramento
Ella’s dining room and bar is another example of a highly sophisticated and contemporary bar in the city of Sacramento. This bar offers a wide variety of cuisines and seasonal cocktails, which expert bartenders make. You will find American cuisine with many seafood options like oysters on the menu. The place is also known for its pasta, which is excellent. The chefs are talented and learn how to create a beautiful dining experience for the visitors, which is further enhanced by the artisan cocktails, and wine list, which is famous all over Sacramento. This fantastic bar is located in downtown Sacramento; hence the location is impressive and accessible to everyone who wants to enjoy a peaceful fine dining experience with classic cocktails.
This place has unmatched hospitality standards and is known to go to great lengths to serve the people of Sacramento. The staff is very knowledgeable of the menu hence we would ask you to take recommendations from them if you are unsure about something. Moreover, you can book this bar for your parties and events, which this place is perfect for, given the upscale bar and luxurious ambiance.
No bar is complete without its happy hour specials! We all know that with the recent price hikes, getting quality cocktails is getting increasingly tricky while staying within our budget; hence happy hours like these allow you to enjoy the best of the best in terms of artisan cocktails made with imported spirits and finely made syrups while not being too heavy on your pockets. Some of the unique happy hour cocktails include Seasonal Mule, caused by mixing vodka and mango and adding ginger elements. Other specials are called Dew or Dew-Not, Ella Manhattan, The Real Gin and Tonic, Elderflower Spritz, Mellow Out, and Tito’s Martini, among others. These classic cocktails are housed between $6-$12.
2. Ink Eats Bar Sacramento
Ink eats another great eatery in Sacramento, which offers hearty meals and classic cocktails for you to enjoy. This place is known for its hippie and funky vibe, which they help create with the décor and the vibe. Ink eats opened way back in 2003, and it operated till the late hours, which was a total game changer and hence one of the pioneers of late-night drinking in Sacramento. This place boasts itself as preparing food for the common folk since the food is sourced locally and is made with love, while the prices are kept marginal to give back to the community and get the love of the people. The staff is very attentive and will treat you like family, so once people make this their usual drinking spot, they do not wish to leave it!
They are the pioneers in many things that are now common in Sacramento, such as the sliders. Moreover, the local community always appreciates their drive to serve the customers. Thus this is one of the best bars if you want to talk to the locals in a very relaxed and homelike ambiance. Moreover, this place is open from Monday until Sunday, all seven days of the week! Therefore, you can make plans with your friends and family. The place is not crowded anymore since they have expanded to the outdoor patio, which means more space for everybody!
The happy hour menu is from four to six pm from Monday until Saturday, where you can eat food and enjoy artisan cocktails at discounted rates, and that makes it even more worth it! The drinks are priced at $3 during this time, and some of the menu items retail for around $5, which is a total bargain. You should try this place out if you want to eat on a budget in a cozy environment with a great crowd.
1. Fox and Goose Bar Sacramento
Fox and Goose is a restaurant and cocktail bar in Sacramento known for its delicious and hearty meals and their artisan cocktails made using high-quality liquors by experienced bartenders. This bar has the vibe and ambiance of an English pub, attracting many people in the area because it’s a bit uncommon. The menu is very diverse and allows for a variety of dishes from different cuisines. The drinking menu, however, takes the prize when it comes to diversity as it offers a host of cocktails, wines, beers, and other liquors, which are local and imported. There are also music nights where renowned bands and singers showcase their skills and entertain you while you sip delicious martinis.
Moreover, the whole design language of this bar is made to resemble English pubs and bars; hence, if you are from the UK, this place will indeed feel like home. The bartenders, waiters, and every member of the staff are very helpful and accommodating and will make sure that you enjoy your trip. Fox and Goose are open seven days a week, so you can plan your visit anytime you want. Just make sure that you get your seats reserved on the weekends as it can get pretty crowded.
You will find different kinds of beer on the menu, including canned beer. The wine list is long; you will also find white, red, and rose wine there. However, we will discuss their signature cocktails in detail, priced moderately from around $7 to $10. These cocktails are made using some of the finest quality gin, tequila, vodka, and rum. Some of the house’s favorite cocktails, which we also recommend, include O.K Fine, Baker Street Old Fashioned, Burgundy Fox, house gin & tonic, Ruby Red Paloma, and Smoked Clover, among others.
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Conclusion
As we discussed before, the art of making a good drink is quite complicated. Hence, we have researched and found some of the best bars in Sacramento, which will offer you quality cocktails and are the best bang for your back. Moreover, you should try their food items to make for a very fulfilling and hearty meal. The bars we have talked about have expert bartenders who will make your drink the perfect way to enjoy every sip. This guide is the ultimate guide about bars to drink in whenever you are in Sacramento; hence you should refer to it and choose one of the bars, visit it and see for yourself what you are talking about!
