Robert Simonson

Contributing Editor

Robert Simonson writes about cocktails, spirits and bars for the New York Times. He is the author of The Old-Fashioned: The Story of the World's First Classic Cocktail (2014), A Proper Drink (2016) and 3-Ingredient Cocktails: An Opinionated Guide to the Most Enduring Drinks in the Cocktail Canon (2017).

Cocktails

Miss Lisa Has Been Serving High Lifes Since They Were 60 Cents

Presiding over the French Quarter's Chart Room since 1975, the NOLA stalwart is ready to get back to her audience of regulars.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Emily Ferretti

Cocktails

How the Gin Blossom Became a Modern Classic

Julie Reiner’s aromatic house cocktail began as an attempt to make a Martini that wasn’t just a Martini.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Lizzie Munro

Places

Tree Sequoia Is the Spirit of Stonewall Inn

For the 81-year-old bartender, the pandemic is just another chapter in the story of one of America’s most important bars.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: PUNCH

Cocktails

How the Piña Verde Became a Modern Classic

Erick Castro's green Chartreuse-based variation on the Piña Colada is one of the most unorthodox modern standards.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Daniel Krieger

Cocktails

How the Porn Star Martini Became a Modern Classic

Douglas Ankrah's provocative 'tini still holds sway more than 20 years on.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Jamie Lau

Cocktails

Montana’s Great Lost Barman

Julian’s Recipes, the second cocktail book ever to be written by a Black bartender, is the legacy of Julian Anderson, whose drinks were considered to be “better than the finest.”

story: Robert Simonson
illustration: Nick Hensley

Cocktails

How the Old Cuban Became a Modern Classic

Audrey Saunders’ sparkling Mojito riff became a transcontinental standard long before Pegu Club opened its doors.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Lizzie Munro

Cocktails

A Guiding Light Goes Dark

For 15 years, Pegu Club reshaped the way we drink, and trained a generation of bartenders along the way. This is its legacy, in the words of former staff, owners…

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Daniel Krieger

Cocktails

What Makes a Modern Classic?

The point at which a modern cocktail becomes classic goes beyond mere popularity.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Daniel Krieger

Cocktails

Mapping the Mai Tai

Tracing the iconic cocktail’s return to form.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Lizzie Munro