If you think that April is sort of early in the season to be sipping lemonade, Tommy Kneeland couldn't agree with you more. But as top mixologist and operating partner at Reddstone, Kneeland says there's a very good reason the signature libation — originally created as a cooler for hot evenings on the award-winning patio — holds a permanent place on the menu. "We can't get rid of it! We tried to take it off, but our customers kept demanding that we put it back on!" One taste, and their logic seems obvious: Crisp, refreshing, and rife with the evocative fragrance of fresh basil, the combo of blueberry purée, made-from-scratch lemonade, and Absolute Acai Vodka turns even the most blustery night into a frolic in an August garden. Until the calendar tells us different, that makes this $9 cocktail the best taste of summer in town. — Elaine T. Cicora
Get it at 1261 West 76th St., 216-651-6969, reddstonecleveland.com.
