When my friend Chris was visiting from Santa Cruz, I suggested a visit to historic Concord and dinner at the elegant and cocktailian 80 Thoreau. One of us (I don't recall which) ordered the Cornell Cocktail.

What a delight! The Cornell Cocktail is kin to the Aviation Cocktail; both are based on gin, and both use Maraschino Liqueur as a sweetener and lemon juice for tartness. While the Aviation often includes Creme de Violette, giving it a light violet hue and a summery flavor, the Cornell becomes in my opinion a better cool-weather drink by the addition of an egg white. The egg white gives the cocktail a smooth silky mouthfeel and a richness that elevates the gin to a new experience.

The alchemists at 80 Thoreau know their stuff. They make their own tonic water, for example. They are not afraid to work with new ingredients to do for a classic cocktail  what the cocktail's inventor might have if he'd had the ingredients. In this case, they drizzled a little cherry bitters over the frothy top to create a visual contrast and a little taste accent that harmonized with the cherry-based Maraschino.