Bruce O.
Yelp
Ten Ten Tap Room, Sacramento, CA - June 30, 2023
Ever walk into a place, no one's there except for the bartender, and you think to yourself "hum, I don't know, not sure if I'm gonna like this place?" We'll that's what it was like at 5 pm on a Friday night in Downtown Sacramento on a 100 degree day at Ten Ten Tap Room.
Located on 10th Street on the west side, next door to the Citizens Hotel (10th and J), this seemingly hole in the wall was good and bad - A Tale of Two Cities if you well. We did have a little trouble zeroing in on the location. Seriously, if you blinked, you would miss it and wind up at 1010+1/2 and say "where the hell is this place?" There is a three foot tall rod iron fence in front that gives it away. Store that away in your AI memory bank. You'll need it to find this place. There are a lot of homeless people in this general area, which is a huge disappointment to me,
Putting the homeless issue in Downtown Sacramento aside, this little tap room is really cool. Our bartenders John and Slate couldn't have been more friendly and personable. My wife ordered a Sazerac (Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey, Cognac, Demerara, Peychaud's Bitters, Angostura Bitters, Absinthe) and I ordered a Manhattan with Makers Mark bourbon. John was a little surprised when I asked for Makers Mark. He was expecting I would ask for a rye whiskey. The drink came out as I expected (I make the same concoction at home), but I got to thinking "what would this taste like with a rye whisky?" So I asked John to make me his version using a rye whiskey.
They have a pretty substantial selection of spirits, and John climbed high up the ladder to find just the right rye - Elijah Craig. OK, now I'm intrigued. John worked his magic putting together the ingredients and brings it to the table. First sip, HEAVEN! Perfect blend of rye, sweet vermouth, and bitters! For all of you Manhattan experts, I apologize for my ignorance. But now I know. Thank you John for educating me!
Will I be back? Probably not. Convince City Council to find a semblance of an intelligent solution to redirecting the homeless away from your neighborhood to homeless shelters, educational opportunities, drug rehab centers, and mental health facilities, and I'll be back. Sorry to sound so ruthless (and politically incorrect), but that's just how I see things. Good luck staying in business.