CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Elegance. Sophistication. The sounds of ivory being tickled in the back. A snazzy drink. Class comes with a price, baby, and all this can all be yours for a cool $2.75 million.

You see, the Velvet Tango Room is for sale. The beloved classic cocktail bar hit the market Tuesday. It was listed Melodie Grable, of Progressive Urban Real Estate.

"I've had three back surgeries and I'm almost 60 and it's time for me to step away and get some fresh blood here," says owner Paulius Nasvytis, who opened the bar in 1996. "I've been kicking around the idea of selling the last couple years."

Tucked away on Columbus Road, the Duck Island spot opened with barely any fanfare or much of a sign -- intentionally so. The idea was to create an intimate speakeasy-like atmosphere for cocktail aficionados looking to make a getaway from woohoo partyers and the sticky dance floors shellacked with spilled vodka... Egad, flavored vodka no less.

At the time, Nasvytis found himself at the forefront of a new cocktail movement in the country. It was also light years ahead of anything happening in Cleveland, thanks to an aesthetic that infused everything from the drink menu to the decor to the milieu.

You could get a stellar French 75, handcrafted, before the term became a cliche. (Everything remains handcrafted at the VTR, and prefab concoctions and flavored booze remain no-nos.) There was also the Art Deco decor, cushy couches and the ivory-tickling piano players add to the classy atmosphere and speakeasy vibes.

The classic sensibilities earned it raves from a number of national publications including Esquire and The Daily Mail, both of which regard it among the top cocktail bars in America. It also continued to set it apart from newbies.

"There are a lot of Johnny-come-latelys doing it now," says Nasvytis. "But we were one of the three bars in that laid the groundwork for the craft cocktail movement in America and people can tell the difference between Velvet Tango Room and the others."

The $2.75 million price tag includes the building, business, fixtures, furnishings, liquor license and name. Grable estimates the total space to be 2,300 square-feet between the bar area and private party room on the ground floor and the offices on the second floor.

"I've had a great 21-year run," says Nasvytis. "In bar years that's like dog years."

Wait, so wouldn't that be like 147 years?

"Yes," says Nasvytis. "That's kinda what I feel like some mornings."