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).

Places

Mark Wagner’s Got Stories

Ask the 27-year veteran of Gibson’s Bar & Steakhouse about Elizabeth Taylor’s Champagne-fueled monologue. Or Billy Joel’s impromptu piano set. Or the guy on a date with a doll.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Nick Murway

Cocktails

A New Kind of Japanese-Style Bar

At Katana Kitten, Masa Urushido has done away with the quiet formality of the Japanese-style cocktail bar.

story: Robert Simonson
photos: Lizzie Munro

Cocktails

In Search of the Ultimate Ti’ Punch

We asked 11 of America’s best bartenders to submit their finest recipe for the Ti' Punch—and then blind-tasted them all to find the best of the best.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Daniel Krieger

Cocktails

Dear Cocktail Menu, Never Change

Does a drinks list need to flip four times a year—or even at all?

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Lizzie Munro

Places

Brien Drew Deserves an Emmy

At Elio’s, the Upper East Side hangout for the well-heeled, the longtime bartender is a star. Just ask Tom Selleck.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Eric Medsker

Cocktails

Big In Germany

How the Ohio, a virtually unknown, 100-year-old cocktail, became a Deutschland staple.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Daniel Krieger

Cocktails

The Challenge of Chasing a Ghost

Recapturing the past is a tricky thing, but that hasn’t deterred New Orleans’ Jewel of the South from trying.

story: Robert Simonson
photos: Randy P. Schmidt

Cocktails

Who Are You, Theodore Proulx?

The Golden Age bartender wrote one of history’s most important drink manuals, yet few have ever heard of him.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: The Bartender's Manual

Cocktails

In Search of the Ultimate Irish Coffee

We asked 11 of America’s best bartenders to submit their finest recipe for the Irish Coffee—and then blind-tasted them all to find the best of the best.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Lizzie Munro

Cocktails

Bar Review: Is This What Sustainability Actually Looks Like?

At Brooklyn’s brand-new Hunky Dory, Claire Sprouse takes a humble approach to the cocktail world’s current crisis-of-conscience.

story: Robert Simonson
photos: Lizzie Munro