The Mix with Robert Simonson

This is the seventh and final edition of a new essay series we are calling “The Cocktail Colloquy: The Martini Now.” We asked a collection of writers and thinkers whom we respect—people with a track record of writing about the Martini, or at least beverage alcohol—if they would contribute an essay to The Mix. We have published one essay every Monday in the seven weeks leading up to the beginning of The Martini Expo on Sept. 13. Tickets to the Expo are now available on Opentable.

At Unnecessary, the Taiwanese Wave. Photo by Asher Simonson Back in 2015, Jeffrey Morgenthaler wrote that frozen drinks were poised for a comeback despite the negative gleanings of the “cocktail gestapo” and that “what these critics seem to have forgotten about blended drinks is possibly the most important point of all: They’re fun.” He’s right. Frozen drinks are fun.

This is the fifth edition of a new essay series we are calling “The Cocktail Colloquy: The Martini Now.” We asked a collection of writers and thinkers whom we respect—people with a track record of writing about the Martini—if they would contribute an essay to The Mix. We will publish one essay every Monday for the next several weeks leading up to the beginning of The Martini Expo on Sept. 13. Tickets to the Expo are now available on Opentable.

The Maestro, Salvatore Calabrese making Martinis at the Martini Expo 2025 in NYC. Photo by Shannon Sturgis The Martini Expo is less than three weeks away and there’s so much in store, we wanted to create a schedule to guide you through it.

This is the fifth edition of a new essay series we are calling “The Cocktail Colloquy: The Martini Now.” We asked a collection of writers and thinkers whom we respect—people with a track record of writing about the Martini—if they would contribute an essay to The Mix. We will publish one essay every Monday for the next several weeks leading up to the beginning of The Martini Expo on Sept. 13. Tickets to the Expo are now available on Opentable.

This is the fourth edition of a new essay series we are calling The Cocktail Colloquy: The Martini Now. We asked a collection of writers and thinkers whom we respect—people with a track record of writing about the Martini—if they would contribute an essay to The Mix. The Mix with Robert Simonson is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Bette Davis making a statement with a green onion, while enjoying Martinis at the Cub Room in the film, “All About Eve” A few months ago, we were dining at Petite Edith in Chicago and I ordered the Edith Cocktail. I had seen it online and was dying to try it. Beverage Director Stevan Miller delivered the cocktail to our table.

This is the third edition of a new essay series we are calling The Cocktail Colloquy: The Martini Now. We asked a collection of writers and thinkers who we respected—people with a track record of writing about the Martini if they would contribute an essay to The Mix. The Mix with Robert Simonson is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

It should come as no surprise that we love home bars at The Mix. In this feature we spend some time At Home With home-bartenders, bartenders, bar owners, homeowners and writers in their home bars. Some bars are in basements, some not, but each is unique and, wherever they are, you are sure to get a good drink and some interesting conversation. We’ve had been looking for a house for the past few years. We mostly looked in upstate New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Robert’s home state.

This is the second edition of a new essay series we are calling The Cocktail Colloquy: The Martini Now. We asked a collection of writers and thinkers who we respected—people with a track record of writing about the Martini (and one who doesn’t, but whose thoughts are welcome on any topic) if they would contribute an essay to The Mix. The Mix with Robert Simonson is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.