Midtown just scored its own mini vacation spot. Day Tripper, a new tropical-themed cocktail bar, has quietly landed on 17th Street, complete with a tiled stone fountain, bougainvillea-draped pergola, velvet banquettes and a towering back bar loaded with mezcal, tequila, rum, cachaça and pisco. The whole setup leans into frozen slushies, regional cocktails and easy-to-digest pricing, with most cocktails hovering around $12, slushies closer to $10 and pony beers at $2. Owners pitch the compact room as a quick getaway that also centers producer-owned spirits, giving bartenders built-in stories to share with every pour.
Day Tripper opened this past weekend at 1820 17th St. on the ground floor of The Richmond development next to the Ice Blocks, as reported by Abridged / PBS KVIE. The bar is the latest project from Irish Hospitality Group, the team behind Ro Sham Beaux, The Snug and The Butterscotch Den, and co-founder Trevor Easter partnered with Soda Back designer Tina Ross on the interior. The idea traces back to a COVID-era tropical pop-up called the Doobie Bar, and staff training reportedly leaned heavily on cultural storytelling before anyone started serving customers.
Where To Go And When
According to the bar's website, Day Tripper lists its address as 1820 17th Street and shows opening hours starting at 4 p.m. daily, with weekend service stretching later into the night (Sunday through Thursday 4 p.m. to midnight; Friday and Saturday 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.). The site also shares contact emails for press and hiring as the team settles in. For now, the bar is operating as a drinks-only hangout and invites guests to bring food from nearby restaurants.
What They Are Pouring
The cocktail list leans into caipirinhas, ti' punches, pisco sours and spirit-forward builds featuring rhum agricole, cachaça and mezcal. Standout menu items include the El Guapo slushie, built with tequila, cucumber, Cholula and Tajín; a Carajillo that swaps the usual base for tequila alongside Licor 43 and fresh espresso; and a tequila shot paired with a pico de gallo water chaser. Most cocktails land around $12, slushies sit closer to $10 and pony beers clock in at $2, according to Abridged / PBS KVIE.
Permits And Paperwork
City records show a planning notice for "Day Tripper Bar" (file P24-016) went before the Planning and Design Commission in January 2025, which approved a conditional use permit and exterior patio improvements, per the City of Sacramento. Earlier local reporting pointed to a liquor-license transfer tied to a company connected with Irish Hospitality Group, suggesting the concept was in motion for months ahead of the Midtown debut, as noted by WhatNow. Together, those filings map out how a temporary outdoor pop-up evolved into a permanent room in the Ice Blocks corridor.
With its hotel-lobby feel and a back bar that drinks like a world atlas, Day Tripper adds another late-night option in Midtown that tries to balance craft and accessibility. How it fares will likely hinge on whether bartenders can keep up the cultural storytelling the owners emphasized in training and whether the neighborhood adopts frozen cocktails as a regular go-to. For now, it is an easy post-dinner stop and a fresh place to explore spirits that do not always show up elsewhere in the region.
