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

At the “21” Club, Tara Wright Is in Charge

She’s the first woman to hold the position of bartender at the historic boy’s club, but that’s not the only thing she’s modernized.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Eric Medsker

Cocktails

Is the 50/50 Even a Martini?

By some accounts, the equal parts ratio is the original incarnation of the famously austere cocktail. By others, it’s not a Martini at all.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Lizzie Munro

Cocktails

In Search of the Ultimate Sidecar

We asked 10 of America's best bartenders to submit their finest recipe for the Sidecar—and then blind-tasted them all to find the best of the best.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Lizzie Munro

Places

Liz Pounds Taught Tulsa How to Drink

For half a century, the Oklahoma bartender has witnessed her town go from Prohibition to cocktail Renaissance—with a star-studded Hollywood pit stop along the way.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Jeremy Charles

Cocktails

In Search of the Ultimate Jungle Bird

We asked 10 of America's best bartenders to submit their finest recipe for the Jungle Bird—and then blind-tasted them all to find the best of the best.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Lizzie Munro

Places

If You Went to Elaine’s, You Knew “Duffy”

After it closed in 2011, Kevin Philzone landed at Neary’s where he’s been tending bar for nearly a decade.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Eric Medsker

Cocktails

In Search of the Ultimate Piña Colada

We asked 10 of America's best bartenders to submit their finest recipe for the Piña Colada—and then blind-tasted them all to find the best of the best.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Lizzie Munro

Cocktails

Paradise Found

Until it was rediscovered in the 1990s, falernum was the missing piece of the tiki puzzle. This is how a group of fanatical pre-internet enthusiasts revived it.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: PUNCH

For the Record

Who Invented the Pickleback?

One rainy evening in Brooklyn, a biker chick with a gold tooth changed the course of cocktail history.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Lizzie Munro

Places

Mario Suazo Is the Mayor of the French Quarter

At Napoleon House, the veteran bartender can make you a signature Pimm’s Cup in 15 seconds flat.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Cory James Fontenot