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Articles by Robert Simonson
Old Restaurants Are the New New Restaurants
When Ariel Arce was growing up, her parents were such fans of Café des Artistes on the Upper West Side that she had her high-school graduation lunch there. The restaurant closed in 2009, but Arce and her business partner, Max Katzenberg, will reopen it next year with a plan to re-create the place she remembers. “We want to honor that kind of old-world café feel — we are not downtown kids coming uptown and making a small-plates restaurant, that’s for sure,” she says.
The Mix with Robert Simonson
The book tour road trip for Bourbon and RyeCocktails is now two weeks in. We have been to Louisville KY; New Haven, CT; Brooklyn and Manhattan; Philadelphia; Kingston, NY; Rochester, NY; and Hudson, NY! Coming up this week are stops in New Brunswick, NJ; and Lake George, NY. Then, we take a short break, and the second leg of the tour begins with stops in Lorain, OH; Pittsburgh; North Carolina and more! Here are the details of the next few outings. We hope to see you there!: Tuesday, Oct.
The Best Secret Sandwich in New York
To find best secret sandwich in New York, you step inside a door in SoHo, take one of the nine stools at a small bar, order a Martini and wait to see if the bartender takes a liking to you and asks, “Are you hungry?” Say yes. The Mix with Robert Simonson is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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The Mix with Robert Simonson Podcast Cocktails and Culture Cocktails and Culture
Milwaukee cocktails to try in October
For cocktail writer and author Robert Simonson, Wisconsin has always held its own in the cocktail world — even when he moved away to be a writer in New York City for decades. Now, Simonson’s back home in Milwaukee where he's continuing to write about food, drink, history and regional culture. As a part of this exploration, he joins me for “Bar Talk” to share some of the most memorable local drinks he’s had in the past month.
In Search of the Last Chili Buns
A Chili Bun outside the Weaver’s food truck in London, KY. The book tour road trip for Bourbon and RyeCocktails is now one week in. We have been to Louisville KY; New Haven, CT; Brooklyn and Manhattan! Coming up this week are stops in Philadelphia; Kingston, NY; Rochester, NY; and Hudson, NY. If you’re in the area, we’d love to see you. Here are the details: Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m.: Cocktail party and book singing at R&D cocktail barin Philadelphia.
The Mix with Robert Simonson
Columbus is home to a lot of superlative comfort food, including great places for pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers. Tops among the latter is Johnnie’s Tavern, just north of the city and in business since 1948. Its name and the big neon liquor sign outside notwithstanding, Johnnie’s is best known for its massive and delicious freshly made hamburgers. Leave a comment
The Bourbon and Rye Book Trail
The Story of How “Bourbon and Rye Cocktails” Was Born. Copies of Bourbon and Rye Cocktails. Does the world need another book about Bourbon? (Spoiler: YES! Also, it’s publication day for Bourbon and Rye Cocktails! But let me explain why I lead with that question.) This is what I asked myself when it was suggested I write a book about the most American of spirits. My publisher thought the planet could use another such volume. But, in 2022, when the topic was broached, I wasn’t so sure.
The Mix with Robert Simonson
Humans and cocktails at The Martini Expo. Photo: Natasha Mustache. From 2006 to 2016, I transitioned from writing about plays, theaters and actors to writing about cocktails, bars and bartenders. By 2016, the transition was complete. During that decade of change, a lot of people commended me on the switch. Journalists don’t typically change their beats, at least not successfully. Theater writers tend to be theater writers to the bitter end. The same goes for other stripes of journalists.
Bar Regular Invitation
Well, it’s here. The start of the book tour is just over a week away, even though we’ve barely got all The Martini Expo Chicago ends tied up. but we are packing our bags again to hit the road! One of the events we are looking forward to the most is with our friends, Francis Schott and Mark Pascal, at Stage Left in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It’s happening on October 27 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Stage Left Steak’s Spooky Bar. Yes, you heard that right, Spooky Bar.
Road Trip! The “Bourbon and Rye Cocktails” Book Tour Kicks Off Oct. 12
Two Months of Stops Cover 17 Cities and Towns in Ten States. The cover of the upcoming book, Bourbon and Rye Cocktails. Mixers, we’re hitting the road! Beginning Oct. 12, Mary Kate and I will be embarking on a two-month book tour in support of my latest work of liquid history, Bourbon and Rye Cocktails. It is my eighth cocktail book. Like the preceding seven, it is put out by my longtime publisher, Ten Speed Press.
Recipe: Hoarfrost Martini
The Martini Expo took place in Chicago from September 13-20. After that, we left Chicago and headed straight for Door County, Wisconsin, to help out at Robert’s brother Eric Simonson’s Door Kinetic Arts Festival, a week-long festival held primarily at Björklunden, a historic educational complex just south of Bailey’s Harbor. Needless to say, we haven’t had a moment to look up until now.
Exclusive: Cocktail Icon Masahiro Urushido to Open New Bar
Masahiro Urushido, the co-founder of Katana Kitten—the West Village hot spot that is consistently rated one of the best cocktail bars in not only New York, but the nation—is stepping away from his day-to-day role at the bar, with plans to open a new place in the near future. Urushido, commonly known as “Masa,” opened Katana Kitten in 2018 along with partners CKHG and Greg Boehm.
Milwaukee martinis to try in September
For cocktail writer and author Robert Simonson, Wisconsin has always held its own in the cocktail world — even when he moved away to be a writer in New York City for decades. Simonson recently returned home to Milwaukee, where he's continuing to write about food, drink, history and regional culture.
The Cocktail Colloquy: The Martini Now—Eric Asimov
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.
New York City Bars That Have Stood the Test of Time
New York has arguably cycled through more important craft cocktail bars in the last two decades than any other city. That’s fitting for the town where, beginning in 1987, bartender Dale DeGroff kicked off the cocktail revival from his perch inside the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center; and where, starting in 2000, Sasha Petraske reinterpreted the cocktail bartender’s art to fit inside an unmarked tenement along Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side.
The Cocktail Colloquy: The Martini Now—Alicia Kennedy
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 Regulars Are Back at Sam’s
Over the years, the near-century-old Sam’s was always closed in August. Louis Migliaccio, the owner, decamped to Italy for the month, depriving his regulars of pizza and parms until he returned and reopened well after Labor Day. The restaurant’s new owner, Georgia Fulton, inadvertently honored that tradition this year when she pushed a planned mid-summer reopening to September 10. Fulton wasn’t vacationing, however; a film crew took up residence in the space.
The Cocktail Colloquy: The Martini Now—Jared Brown
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 Cocktail Colloquy: The Martini Now—David Wondrich
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.
The Cocktail Colloquy: The Martini Now—Dr. Anistatia Miller
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.
Milwaukee cocktails to try in August
For cocktail writer and author Robert Simonson, Wisconsin has always held its own in the cocktail world. Simonson recently returned home to Milwaukee, after living and working for decades as a writer in New York City. Now, he’s focused on Milwaukee — he's continuing to write about food, drink, history and regional culture.
At Home With: The Black Lagoon Room
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.
The Cocktail Colloquy: The Martini Now—Garrett Oliver
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.
The Cocktail Colloquy: The Martini Now
We don’t do guest posts on The Mix and never have, since the newsletter bowed back in January 2022. If you read something in these pages, it’s either me, Robert, or my co-founder Mary Kate. But some offers are too attractive to pass up.
All You Need to Know About the 2026 Martini Expo in Chicago
I know that right now, this week, every cocktail maven’s mind is on Tales of the Cocktail and every cocktail maven’s body is in New Orleans. (We are on our way there ourselves as you read this!) But, have you thought to yourself: “What am I to do after Tales is over?” Worry not. You can take August off—we all do—but we have your September all mapped out. From Sept. 13 to Sept. 20 in Chicago, The Mix will present The Second Annual Martini Expo.
The New Orleans 40 (2026 Edition)
It’s that time of the year—hot, sweaty and humid—when Tales of the Cocktail stages its annual, week-long cocktail hour. So next week we will be heading down to New Orleans, where I’ve been going since 2006. This time we’re there for the whole week, allowing for plenty of visits to the city’s great restaurants and bars—both old and new. I’m very excited to be a part of this coming Tuesday’s Living Legends, presented by Elayne Duff and Heaven Hill at Merchants Hall in New Orleans.
The Finest-Eatin’ Chicken in the World
A meal of broasted chicken at Road Dawg in Beloit, WI. Open the menu at any supper club in Wisconsin and you’re bound to spot a few staple entrees. There will be a rib eye steak; I doubt it’s legal for a supper club to open without offering a rib eye. On Fridays, there will be a fish fry—usually perch, sometimes walleye if you’re lucky; cod, if you’re not. And, as often as not, there will be broasted chicken. That’s not a typo.
On a Toot! New York Hello/Goodbye Edition
Welcome to the latest edition of “On a Toot!,” a feature in which I try to remember some of the liquid highlights of recent weeks, and other highlights in general. “On a Toot!”—which made its debut on March 10, 2023 (accept no imitations!)—will only run on Fridays and will only be available to paid subscribers. We hope you enjoy it.
Do Agave Spirits Age in the Bottle?
Agua Magica mezcalaro Don Rogelio Juan Hernandez, owner Rafa Shin and sommelier Aldo Sohm in an agave field in Oaxaca. For drinks professionals coming up in their trade during the early years of the cocktail and spirits renaissance, in the aughts and 2010s, there was a lot we did not know and had to learn. But there were certain pieces of conventional wisdom that were cherished as scripture.
The Mix with Robert Simonson
The house dog at Gene & Jude’s. With July 4th right around the corner—and the nation’s 250th go-round with that anniversary to boot!—everyone’s got America’s favorite and most historical sandwich, the hot dog, on their mind. 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. We don’t skimp on hot dog coverage in this space.
This Just In: Mezcal Reviews!
Sometimes bottles don’t get to you until it’s past your deadline. Sometimes there are so many bottles that you can’t possibly taste them all and you blow past your deadline. And sometimes both of those things happen at once! That was the situation here at The Mix last week, during Mezcal and Tequila Week. And that’s why you are getting this coda to that week of agave coverage.
Bidding Farewell to Mezcal and Tequila Week
First of all, we’re sorry to be a day late in saying goodbye to this Mezcal and Tequila Week. Yesterday was Father’s Day and it was the first Father’s Day that Robert had been apart from his son Asher, and, more recently, my son Richard too. So, we called an audible and I made Robert breakfast in bed. Then we went to the gym and antiquing. I bought Robert a Wild Turkey 1976 bi-centennial decanter; a Shakey’s Pizza 24-ounce beer schooner; and a 1950 bongo album by Les Baxter called Skins.
Officials wary as property tax measure slated for Nov. ballot
A sweeping property tax overhaul, which has the power to significantly change how local governments are funded, will be on the November ballot for voters to consider. Super majorities in the Florida House and Senate passed Gov. DeSantis’ property tax referendum proposal with minor changes on June 3.
Canned Agave Cocktail Taste Test
Canned and bottled cocktails–known in the industry at RTDs (Ready-To-Drink)—have been rampant since the Covid-19 pandemic struck. In fact, RTDs are presently one of the few growth categories in the booze industry. And among those RTDs are some cocktails made with agave spirits, as the producers can’t very well ignore the public’s thirst for Tequila and Mezcal. The Mix with Robert Simonson is a reader-supported publication.
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The interior of Despacho Margarita. From the moment I began to tell people that I was taking my first trip to Oaxaca, I heard: “Drink a lot of Margaritas!” Or, “Be sure to post pictures of all the Margaritas!” In the end, I didn’t drink a lot of Margaritas, or post pictures of them. Because there weren’t any. Now, I am aware that Margaritas are not as popular in Mexico as they are in the United States. But I expected to encounter some, nonetheless.
Mezcal and Tequila Cocktails
At The Mix, we love cocktails. Yes, we love sipping spirits, but mostly we love the complexity and magic of mixing a few ingredients and coming up with something new that is at once delicious, satisfying and refreshing. It’s even in our name: The Mix. And there’s nothing better than taking a moment to relax, reflect and savor the whole experience.
Milwaukee cocktails to try in June
For cocktail writer and author Robert Simonson, Wisconsin has always held its own in the cocktail world — even when he moved away to be a writer in New York City for decades. Simonson recently returned home to Milwaukee, where he's continuing to write about food, drink, history and regional culture. As a part of this exploration, he joins us on Lake Effectfor a new regular segment called “Bar Talk” to share some of the most memorable drinks he’s had at local bars and restaurants in the past month.
Welcome to Mezcal and Tequila Week!
A frond of an agave plant. In April 2008, I took the five-day Beverage Alcohol Resource course. It was (and still is) an immersive class in spirits and cocktail education. I was the only journalist in a room of bartenders. I arrived at Astor Center in Manhattan at 8 a.m. on Monday and didn’t come up for air until Friday at 6 p.m. Part of each day’s work were blind tastings of different spirit categories.
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An afternoon scene at The Peek Inn in Brooklyn. I have gone on the record with the idea that the hot dog is the ideal bar food. And, lately, more and more bars seem to agree. Perhaps none of the new bars have pulled off the balance of cocktails to franks, in terms of quality and creativity, as well as The Peek Inn has in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. 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.
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Thanks for being a Bar Regular! Please send Mary Kate your updated address for the book in October. Her name mail is marykatemurray@me.com. Thank you for your support!!
The Mix with Robert Simonson
The Chicago Cocktail 1.0 at Petite Edith. Chicago doesn’t seems to care much about the Chicago Cocktail, a libation that was invented 100-plus years ago. That is a shame. It’s a delicious concoction, and a simple one. Just brandy and curaçao and bitters with a topping of Champagne. What’s not to like about that? It’s in Boothby territory, and in a good way. The Mix with Robert Simonson is a reader-supported publication.
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Two Martini glasses in a deep fog of dry ice atop the Bar Chimera bar. If you want to know what it was like to dine out in New York in the 1990s, go to Bar Chimera. It’s ostentatious, sleek, full of beautiful and clearly wealthy people, everything is expensive, and the atmosphere pulsates with excitement. That was the ‘90s.
The Mix with Robert Simonson
Side Car The Hamburger Historian Talks About the Latest Edition of His Indispensable Book "Hamburger America." A cheeseburger at Kewpee Burger in Racine, WI. George Motz, the noted scholar of American hamburger culture, recently published the 4th edition of his seminal guide, Hamburger America, in which he profiles what he considers to be the preeminent burger joints in the country.
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The Caprese Martini at the Andaz 5th Avenue. The Caprese Martini or Tomato Water Martini is so widespread on cocktail menus these days that, at this point, it amounts to its own sub-genre of the Martini. This is particularly true in the spring, when thoughts turn to produce and fresh tomatoes dance in the heads of dreaming mixologists.
The Mix with Robert Simonson
Jim’s Original, the Chicago hot dog stand that originated the style of sandwich known as the Maxwell Street Polish Sausage, will soon no longer do business in the Maxwell Street area. Jim’s is getting the boot from the University of Illinois—Chicago, which is the joint’s landlord. The purported educational institution wants to develop the land at S. Unio…
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Ayele Frinak serves a Daiquiri at Echo Lake. Anyone with even a passing knowledge of Paul McGee’s bar career understood what was coming when news hit that he and partner Chloe Frechette were opening a new Brooklyn bar called Echo Lake. Though he has been associated with dozens of bars, both in Las Vegas and Chicago—including The Whistler and Three Dots and a Dash—his more lasting accomplishment was Lost Lake, a small tiki bar in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago.
Cocktails to try in Milwaukee in May
Even for cocktail writer and author Robert Simonson, Wisconsin has always held its own in the cocktail world – even when he moved away to be a writer in New York City for decades. Simonson recently returned home to Milwaukee where he's continuing to write about food, drink, history and regional culture. As a part of this exploration, he’ll be joining Lake Effect regularly to talk about some of the most memorable drinks he’s had at local bars in the past month.
The Mix with Robert Simonson
A booth at The Cozy Inn, the oldest Chinese restaurant in the U.S. This article is a dual post with The Milwaukee Mix. If you are a paid subscriber to The Mix With Robert Simonson and want to be a subscriber to The Milwaukee Mix, please write to marykatemurray@me.com to receive a free subscription. Over the past few months, we had been planning a trip to Montana. There were a few must-see stops at the top of our list.
Enjoy a Good Cocktail? Thank David Wondrich
The recent tour for David Wondrich’s newest book, The Comic Book History of the Cocktail, included at least one stop you wouldn’t call usual for a cocktail historian: Comic Con at the Javits Center in New York City. There, he and illustrator Dean Kotz signed books for cosplaying buyers dressed as Boba Fett and Sailor Moon. “That was insane,” Wondrich says. “But that was just people buying books to buy books.
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