The Abridged version:
- After Abridged identified 11 signature Sacramento-area drinks earlier in June, readers wrote in with others they thought were missing from the list.
- The Wicky Wacky Woo, a strong drink at Davis’ Wiki Bar, was a popular answer.
- People also mentioned peach milkshakes from Whitey’s Jolly Kone, a summer specialty in West Sacramento, and the Starburst beer from Der Biergarten.
I selected the Sacramento region’s 11 signature drinks earlier this month, and asked readers what they’d add. After reading their submissions, I wish I would have expanded that list a tad.
The Wicky Wacky Woo, a rite of passage for bar-crawling UC Davis students invented in the 1990s, was the most popular response to our poll. It’s one of the region’s strongest drinks, to be sure, a mix of gin, tequila, rum and vodka with a shot of 151-proof rum poured into the straw, softened only slightly by orange, pineapple and cranberry juices.
Available at Wiki Bar (the bar side of downtown Davis’ Cafe Bernardo), it’s the starting point for 21st birthday bar crawls and part of the “Davis Trinity.” The others: an FML (vodka, gin, tequila, triple sec and pineapple and cranberry juices) from Red 88 and a Thaibreaker (apricot brandy, pineapple juice and four types of rum, plus a 151 float) from Sophia’s Thai Bar & Kitchen.
“Strongest drink I’ve ever had,” one reader wrote. “It was a signature of my college ‘get drunk as fast as you can’ days. This was a staple for out-of-town guests to try in downtown Davis(.)”
Another reader pointed out what seems like an obvious miss in retrospect: peach milkshakes from Whitey’s Jolly Kone in West Sacramento. I even referenced them in a separate article earlier this month after visiting Whitey’s sister restaurant Emile’s Cafe.
Whitey’s has been a Jefferson Boulevard landmark since 1963, and serves milkshakes year-round along with old-timey fast food. Yet many customers make their sole pilgrimage of the year during peach shake season, which will start July 7. They’re made Crystal Creamery soft serve mix and peaches from J&J Ramos Farms in Stanislaus County, the first vendor one sees upon walking into the Central Sacramento Sunday Certified Farmers’ Market.
Others vouched for the Schofferhofer Starburst beer, the only house-made beer flowing from Der Biergarten’s many Midtown taps. The German-inspired, open-air beer garden layers a grapefruit hefeweizen with pomegranate cider from Two Rivers Cider near Land Park. A waterfront location on the way in Old Sacramento means additional opportunities to try the Starburst, which comes in at 4% ABV and has a refreshing, fruity taste similar to its namesake candy.
Readers also suggested Bogle Family Vineyards‘ sauvignon blanc, seasonal eggnog from Gunther’s Ice Cream, a smoky old fashioned via Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co., Puzz E Gata Jamaica tea and The Snug’s mechanical bull cocktail.
And one nominated Dole Whip, created for Disney World by then-recent UC Davis graduate Kathy Westphal. We can quibble over whether it’s a beverage, but there’s no argument against it as Sacramento’s summer heat hits.
Benjy Egel is the senior food editor at Abridged. Born and raised in the Sacramento region, he has covered its local restaurants and bars since 2018. He also writes and edits Abridged’s weekly food and drink newsletter, City of Treats.