The Abridged version:
- Tell us which bar in the Sacramento region is the absolute best. While we’re at it, which bartender is your favorite.
- The Snug, The Butterscotch Den and Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine were named among the top western U.S. bars in Tales of the Cocktail’s 2026 Spirited Awards.
- Tales of the Cocktail is in its 20th year administering the Spirited Awards. Winners will be revealed July 23 in New Orleans.
Here are a couple questions fit for a decent bar argument.
Which bar in the Sacramento region is the absolute best? Which bartender is your favorite? (Tell us in the form below.)
We’re asking because three Sacramento bars were named semifinalists among the best of the western United States in Tales of the Cocktail’s 2026 Spirited Awards on Wednesday.
The Snug, Irish Hospitality Group’s bar in Downtown Sacramento, was named among the 10 best cocktail bars in the West. That includes California as well as Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and Hawaii.
A second Irish Hospitality Group bar, The Butterscotch Den in North Oak Park, earned the same nod under the category of “restaurant bar,” though customers mostly cook their own dishes over a communal grill.
Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine, Sacramento’s most popular sushi restaurant, was a semifinalist in the same category for its deep, inventive bar menu.
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While Sacramento-area chefs have earned more nationwide recognition in recent years, garnering James Beard Award semifinalist nominations every year since 2022, the region’s bar programs haven’t seen the seen level of acclaim. None had received Spirited Awards recognition since 2023, when The Butterscotch Den was named one of the nation’s Top 10 new cocktail bars.
The Butterscotch Den’s signature drink is its freezer martini, often paired with a bump of Wilton-based Tsar Nicoulai Caviar. At The Snug, it’s arguably the mechanical bull (bourbon, Fernet Branca, lemon and ginger) — except during December, when each bar gets taken over by “Miracle on Broadway” and “Miracle on R Street” Christmas-themed pop-ups.
Kru’s cocktail list includes many Japanese whiskeys and sakes and a rotating list of themed drinks inspired by classic video games, cars and more. The open sesame, a gimlet with sesame-infused gin and a cucumber-yuzu shrub, is a constant favorite, as are a series of highballs. All three bars also offer nonalcoholic options.
The Spirited Awards winners will be announced July 23 at a ceremony in New Orleans sponsored by Food & Wine.
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.