Tapas and small bites make a refreshing, relaxing summer meal, such as the above "Pintxos", or skewered bites with a mix of ingredients such as olives, cheeses, and meats.

It’s no wonder Michael Chiarello’s flirtatious Coqueta has been such a hit on San Francisco’s waterfront. Tapas, gintonics and glorious water views are a potent recipe for happiness. It’s also one to inspire a Spanish-style summer fete of your own.

You may not have that stunning waterfront view but the idea of tapas, skewered pintxos (pronounced peen-chos) and late night sips and small plates on the patio is tailor-made for relaxed entertaining.

It was a gastronomically charged trip to Barcelona that sealed the deal for the Napa chef known for his Italian cuisine.

“I fell in love with Barcelona, with the emotion and the community of eating,” he says. “The waterfront, the seaside style of eating, where you eat as little or as much as you like, pintxos and a glass of sherry.”

From the party host perspective, it can be a delightful level of commitment — or rather, noncommitment — as well. Chilled wine, fizzy cocktails, platters of cured meats, cheeses and olives, and you’re halfway there.

Then pass a tray of brightly hued, Basque-inspired pintxos — skewered pickled vegetables and anchovies, for example, or the fresh baby beets, cucumbers and feta cheese combination favored by Gerald Hirigoyen, whose small plates fare dazzles at his Basque restaurant, Piperade, and in a cookbook, “Pintxos” devoted to that cuisine.

Pintxos are the “tapas of the North” says Jeffrey Weiss, who just opened a Mediterranean and Andalusian restaurant, Jennini Kitchen + Wine Bar, in Pacific Grove, Calif. Weiss encourages pintxo creativity in his book “Charcuteria, the Soul of Spain”: “There’s a million and one pintxos to try in Basque Country, but the truth is that anything you can stick on a toothpick qualifies as a proper pintxo.”

The one you encounter everywhere, Weiss says, is the Gilda, a toothpicked flourish of cured guindilla peppers, green olives, cornichonlike pepinillos, magenta-tinged pearl onions and anchovies.

Legend has it that the pintxo was inspired by Rita Hayworth’s 1940s film “Gilda.” Weiss says the salty, zesty little skewers are a great addition to any party.

They make a great little nosh to pair with that other Spanish obsession, the gintonic — one word, Chiarello says — served in balloon-shaped wine glasses.

Of course, you could also serve pintxos with a Spanish rose, an albarino, a cider, sangria or cava.

It’s not a true Spanish spread without cured meats, sliced chorizo perhaps — caramelized, Chiarello suggests, then deglazed with Spanish cider and cooked a few minutes more with fresh, pitted cherries.

Include a prosciutto-like ham to complement the salty, savory and sweet flavors. Chiarello serves it with fresh peaches, soft cow’s milk cheese and a dusting of dried piquillo peppers, or plums, watercress and a drizzle of olive oil. The combination, he says, is “a perfect celebration of the season.”