How is this newsletter one year old?
It seems like only yesterday we were plotting the welcome post to “The Mix With Robert Simonson,” then the first cocktail recipe, then the first Field Report, then the first Q&A. Do that 150 times and I guess you get from January 19, 2022, to today. Happy New Year to us!
As we approach that landmark (still 8 days away), I’d like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who is reading these words right now (or received them via email and plans to read them later). I have said many times over the past year that The Mix is a reader-supported publication, but it bears repeating. Because the fact is that is 100% true. There is no advertising at The Mix. There are no sponsors. There is no marketing department telling me what to write and who to cover. There is only you and me. That is the greatness of this format: no middlemen. All I really do is write. It’s all I’ve ever done, and probability all I know how do—aside from cook a few dishes, make a decent cocktail, recite the lyrics of any pop song between 1955 and 1986 and tell you which way is north. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me to continue to do what I do best and love most. You’ve also, incidentally, made The Mix one of the best-read Food & Drink newsletters on Substack!
I hope you have enjoyed the snapshots of the world that I have chosen to share in the past year. I’ve certainly enjoyed writing (and photographing) them. Nothing excites Mary Kate and I more than stepping into the subway or getting into the car, plans in mind and cameras at the ready, knowing that the coming hours may result in a Mix post in the near future. As I write this, I am waiting to board a plane to New Orleans. You have to know that that trip will result in something Mix-worthy.
In the next day or two, some paid subscribers will receive an email notifying them that their subscription to The Mix is up for renewal. There is no need to take any action if you choose to stay along for the ride. And I hope you do choose to continue to keep us company. I pledge to keep this newsletter fresh and lively, peripatetic and occasionally newsworthy (I love breaking news). I will stay curious—I honestly can’t help it; it’s my defining characteristic, and probably the reason I am a journalist, and definitely the reason I travel so much, take long walks and have the annoying habit of reading every historical marker. And I will pass that curiosity directly on to you. The Mix is basically a distillation of my life, both my working life and personal life; my past experiences and my present. Reading it, you will discover things as I discover them, unedited and undiluted.
And now, I’d like to officially welcome and salute that latest graduating class of Bar Regulars. When we first set up the Bar Regular level of membership, I thought we’d get a handful of stalwart supporters. Instead, over the course of the year, the number of Bar Regulars has swelled to more than 60. Among them are family members, colleagues, dear friends and friends I have yet to meet. It’s a very cool list of people, I have to admit! I am humbled by your participation, because I know what you’re doing by signing on goes beyond support. It’s an act of faith, not just in myself and this newsletter but the whole idea of independent journalism.
(P.S.—If any Bar Regular listed below has not yet received their promised signed copy of Modern Classic Cocktails, please contact Mary Kate and let her know.)
—Gratefully, Robert
Congrats on your first year! Listening to you talk about the Mix on Hanna Lee's podcast inspired me to create my own newsletter. So thank you for doing what you're doing!
It's been such a pleasure to get your newsletter, Robert! Thanks for a year of even more fantastic writing and for taking us on your amazing travels! I have no idea how you have the time to be even more prolific, but like every reader, I'm simply glad for your seemingly indefatigable output!