After our afternoon snack at Eastern Standard, we popped over to the at the old Foundation Lounge in The Hotel Commonwealth. We have been meaning to go to The Hawthorne for sometime now because of the talented mixologist, Jackson Cannon.

The funky, well designed cocktail bar serves up really well-crafted cocktails (another few favorites of ours for cocktails are Barbara Lynch’s Drink and Green Street Grill in Cambridge).

The zebra club chairs and long high top tables offer the perfect ambiance for after work drinks. There is a lovely back room, open to the public Thursday through Saturday evenings, where a separate bartender utilizes vintage bar ware.

Patrons can rent certain areas and seating in the back room for events from approximately $200 an hour. I would definitely suggest The Hawthorne as a potential location for my friend’s bachelorette.

My friend started off with one of my all time favorite cocktails, a Dark and Stormy. The silver dual stirrer-and-straw was perfect to mix the various layers of the cocktail.  I always have several limes, Goslings’ and ginger beer always on hand in the fridge at home.

In honor of M.I.A.and her hit song, I ordered and sipped Paper Plane, texture aperitif by Sam Ross bourbon, bitter and lemon. My friend ordered a Latin inspired drink (the name escapes me). Both were light pink and delicious.

The staff was very attentive, constantly filling our water glasses and frequently checking in. They wore smart-looking outfits and dapper vests. One of the guys had really sleek top rimmed Raybans, which we couldn’t help but compliment him on. I thought it was really smart design that the mirrors have glassware and the drawers have the POS systems.

The bar was comfortable yet busy enough not to be distracting and we inquired with one of our servers when The Hawthorne was busiest  in the week. She told us that the bar is packed on Saturday evenings and during that time it is difficult to walk around freely.

After inquiring about champagne cocktail suggestions and mentioning that one of my favorite drinks is the Dark and Stormy, the server suggest an Air Mail, champagne, rum, fresh lemon and honey ($13). This was a lovely drink and is highly recommended.

I also loved the Phil Collins cocktail with vodka, chartruese (which we first tried chartruese in dessert from courtesy of Staff Meal), lime and it tastes like a sophisticated and refreshing vodka lemonade ($12). I would definitely say this drink is another must try. It’s truly original.

Our very knowledgable and attentive server mentioned the menu has been updated and there are new items on the menu (served until 11pm). There still is the olives, spicy cashews, deviled eggs, cheese plates and eclairs, however there are some new items that captured our eyes.

We ordered the lightly green colored onion dip with homemade kettle chips in honor of our friend and it was nice and smooth. We went through the chips so quickly, that we needed a side bowl.

Another new item on the menu are the macarons. It is no secret we are obsessed with macarons and had to try the meringue treats. The Island Creek Oyster bakery team makes these macarons in house and for $6, you get six macarons, which is some of the best prices I have seen. The flavors were caramel, chocolate and strawberry. My favorite was the chocolate, which had a nice flavor. I wish the caramel and strawberry were more intensely flavored.

We would definitely be back again to try more of the snacks on the menu and the other thoughtful and creative cocktails.