Best of Cleveland 2015: Beer and Shot Pairings

While you may sloppily knock back shots during last call, the Spotted Owl's Will Hollingsworth insists that it can be sophisticated. "Simplicity is elegance," he says. "Beer and shot pairings is the most beautiful symbol of that, because it's just two things." Order one of the bar's six pairings such as the Sun Never Sets ($14), 1 1/2 ounces of Smith and Cross Navy-strength Jamaican rum and a 12-ounce bottle of Breckenridge 471 small-batch IPA. A clever reference to the 19th-century British Empire, the pairing is more than an homage. "Navy-strength rum has so much booze and is so intense in flavor that you would never describe it as a sweet thing," he says. "But the citrus quality of those very bitter hops break and support [it], bringing out that sweetness in the rum that you would never have really noticed otherwise." 710 Jefferson Ave., Cleveland, 216-795-5595, spottedowlbar.com