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).
Robert Simonson
Contributing Editor
Bar Review: The Trouble with the “Hyper-Local” Cocktail
A Rake’s Bar dedicates itself wholly to regional ingredients, forgoing the likes of simple syrup and citrus. But are the drinks any good?
- story: Robert Simonson
- photos: Reema Desai
Pete Napolitano’s Got a Theory
The iconic Melody Lanes bartender on bartending’s “mathematical signature” and what he’s learned from 30 years behind the bar.
- story: Robert Simonson
- photos: Eric Medsker
Martini, Up, with a Blue Cheese-Stuffed Olive
The blue cheese-stuffed olive has proven itself, bizarrely, to be one of the few drink garnishes with real staying power.
- story: Robert Simonson
- photo: Lizzie Munro
Bar Review: The New Face of the Hotel Bar
Downtown LA’s booming scene insists that the new hotel bar is really five bars in one.
- story: Robert Simonson
- photos: Dylan + Jeni
In Search of the Ultimate Sazerac
We asked 14 of America's best bartenders to submit their finest recipe for the Sazerac—then blind-tasted them all to find the best of the best.
- story: Robert Simonson
- photo: Daniel Krieger
Will the Real Orange Bitters Please Stand Up?
Dozens of brands are still competing to become the archetypal orange bitters.
- story: Robert Simonson
- photo: Lizzie Munro
Bar Review: Jim Meehan’s Ambitious Act Two
Just over ten years since opening the pioneering PDT, Jim Meehan returns with Prairie School, a high-concept bar inspired by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
- story: Robert Simonson
- photos: Hilary Higgins
Bar Review: Is the New EMP Actually an Improvement?
Robert Simonson on the revamp of Eleven Madison Park’s trailblazing bar.
- story: Robert Simonson
- photos: Eric Medsker
In Search of the Ultimate Old-Fashioned
We asked 17 of America's best bartenders to submit their finest recipe for the Old-Fashioned—then blind-tasted them all to find the best of the best.
- story: Robert Simonson
- photo: Daniel Krieger
The State of the New York Steakhouse Martini
How have these bastions of old-school drinking changed with the times?
- story: Robert Simonson
- photos: Lizzie Munro
