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

Bar Review: What Is The Aviary, Exactly?

Robert Simonson visits the New York branch of Grant Achatz’s celebrated high-concept cocktail bar.

story: Robert Simonson
photos: Lizzie Munro

Cocktails

In Search of the Ultimate Whiskey Sour

We asked 20 of America's best bartenders to submit their finest recipe for the Whiskey Sour—then blind-tasted them all to find the best of the best.

story: Robert Simonson
photos: Lizzie Munro

Cocktails

A Bar Program Aimed at Fighting Inequality

How one Louisville distillery is tackling the bar world’s diversity problem.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: The Ideal Bartending School

Cocktails

Bar Review: New York’s Pioneering Angel’s Share, 24 Years Later

In "Bar Review," Robert Simonson revisits New York's OG Japanese cocktail bar to see how the trailblazer of the craft cocktail movement has fared nearly a quarter-century on.

story: Robert Simonson
photos: Lizzie Munro

Cocktails

In Search of the Ultimate Negroni

We asked 20 of America's best bartenders to submit their finest recipe for the Negroni—then blind-tasted them all to find the best of the best.

story: Robert Simonson
photos: Lizzie Munro

Cocktails

Phil Ward Just Wants to Bartend

One of the most idiosyncratic players in the modern drinks movement has never been one to follow trend.

story: Robert Simonson
photos: William Hereford

Cocktails

Drink a Harvey Wallbanger to Help Houston

Houston bartender Bobby Heugel is looking to use this oft-maligned classic to raise money for victims of Hurricane Harvey.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Julie Soefer

Cocktails

Bar Review: An Iconic New Orleans Bartender Returns to His Post

In "Bar Review," Robert Simonson considers Paul Gustings' return to the historic Tujague's—and what it means to be a great bartender.

story: Robert Simonson
photos: Randy P. Schmidt

Beer

A Drinking Tour of Coney Island

Despite efforts to redevelop the iconic boardwalk, Coney Island remains a bastion of simple, unpretentious drinking.

story: Robert Simonson
photos: Lizzie Munro

Cocktails

Can the Martini-on-the-Rocks Make a Comeback?

In the years following World War II, ordering a Martini or Manhattan on the rocks was a standard affair. For some drinkers, it still is.

story: Robert Simonson
photo: Daniel Krieger