Best of Cleveland 2014: Sangria

Sangria

We're already missing those warm summer days. But a trip to Sangria Tapas & Bar in Westlake for sangria is the next best thing to the sun beating down on our faces. Served in a large ceramic jug ($22.95) with a wooden spoon, the Spanish spot's four fruit and wine concoctions are a nontraditional take on the red wine classic, though they certainly do that style too. We like to kick back with the Tropical Sangria, a mix of white wine, Spanish brandy, orange juice, peach schnapps and fresh oranges and apples. But the real draw of this little expedition to the Mediterranean is the $55 Champagne Sangria. The booze bomb of apple, oranges, Patron orange liqueur, orange juice, Remy Martin Cognac, Cointreau and a full bottle of Champagne - a family recipe passed down to owner Pedro Cazares - all gets mixed tableside. "When my grandfather used to work with the Spaniards, that's where he learned it, so he kept it," he says. 27200 Detroit Road, Westlake, 440-617-6476, sangriaandtapasbar.com