The Mix's Best of 2025

A Selection of Some of the Best Things The Mix Ate, Drank and Saw During the Past Year.

Drinks at The Lovers Bar in Philly.

The year 2025 was a momentous one for all of us. The World made sure of that!; we had hardly any say in the matter. But it was also an eventful one for us on a personal and professional way. The Mix grew by leaps and bounds. We kicked off the “At Home With” series about people’s elaborate home bars. We launched our first sister publication, The Milwaukee Mix, in November. Two months earlier, on September 12-13, we staged our first public event, The Martini Expo, a two-day celebration of Martini culture, at Industry City in Brooklyn, featuring the biggest names in the cocktail, gin, vodka and vermouth worlds.

Travel took us to London, Florence and Poland, as well as domestic destinations like New Orleans, Chicago, San Francisco, Louisville, Delaware, Kansas City, and Philadelphia, where Robert headed the first-ever beverage panel at the long-running Chef’s Conference.

Our final trip was the most significant: Milwaukee, my home town, where we moved in early November. (Hence, the impetus behind The Milwaukee Mix!) We will now split our time between The Big Apple and Cream City.

These final days of 2025 have made us reflective. The memorable food, drink and experiences of the past year seem too many to enumerate. And, yet, we’ve managed to number the best of them!

The items below are published in roughly chronological order in which we experienced them.

—Robert and Mary Kate

Everything at St. John

There was meat, there was bread, there were Martinis. It was all great at this immaculate London destination for offal dishes. Don’t ask us to choose a favorite dish or drink. We refuse. Perhaps our best meal of 2025.—Robert Simonson

Take Your Best Shot

The “One-Sip” Martini at the bar Tayēr + Elementary in London is one of the world’s great Martinis. The sui generis creation is made with vodka, amber vermouth and sherry and served in a shot glass with a Gorgonzola-cheese stuffed jumbo olive. We had one coming in during a February visit and one going out. Perfect bookends. I was proud when co-owner Alex Kratena told me he got the idea for the Martini from reading a Punch profile I wrote years ago about Harry’s Bar in Venice (where the Martini, too, comes in a shot glass).—RS

Yes, Today, Satan

Satan’s Whiskers is the most American cocktail bar in London. (This is another way of our saying Satan’s Whiskers is one of our favorite bars in London.) The operation is modest, it’s fun, they concentrate on classic cocktails and are short on the bells and whistles.—RS

Seed Library Crackers

The only disappointment I have had this year is that when Ryan Chetiyawardana opened the Seed Library in NYC, there were no “orange crackers.” During our London trip, the Chilli Rice Crackers at the original Seed Library fascinated me. Tasting like spicy Cap’n Crunch, they seemed to go with every drink. I will return.—Mary Kate Murray

John Soane Museum

During the thirteen years that I worked for architect Michael Graves I heard enough about British architect John Soane to have earned my doctorate. The person, the home, the museum, its contents. But this did not stop it from being one of my top five desired destinations to visit, right up there with Pompeii, and The Acropolis. I longed to see it in person and it did not disappoint. If you are in London you must go.—MKM

Hot Brown Everything

At this point, the Hot Brown amounts not only to the official dish of Louisville, but an entire subcategory of cuisine in Kentucky. Its flavors of tomato, turkey, bacon and mornay sauce are applied to everything, including a delicious pizza I had at the The Kitchen Table restaurant on the grounds of the Jim Beam distillery.—RS

Gatsby the Great

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great American Novel, The Great Gatsby, turned 100 in April of 2025. A great reason to reread the classic—or read it for the first time, Old Sport! I celebrated the book in several ways, including spending a night in The Gatsby Suite in Louisville’s Seelbach Hotel, an old Fitzgerald haunt.—RS

The Other Philly Sandwich

Forget the Cheesesteak. The best Philadelphia sandwich is roast pork with broccoli rabe and sharp provolone cheese. I haven’t tried them all, but I’ll wager that the one served at Tommy DiNic’s inside the Reading Terminal Market is near or at the top.—RS

True Bar Food

I went to the multi-award-winning San Francisco bar True Laurel to try the cocktails. But I liked the food better, particularly the Buffalo Sweetbreads, a mash-up of two very different things that went spectacularly well. The dish is presently not on the menu. True Laurel: change that!—RS

Mixing It Up in New Brunswick

Mark, Francis and Robert.

The second annual Mixer for Bar Regular subscribers of The Mix took place at Stage Left in New Brunswick, which is run by The Mix subscribers Francis Schott and Mark Pascal. Behind the bar was another Mix subscriber, and bartender nonpareil, Dale DeGroff. In front of the bar were some of the best people we know.—RS and MKM

Eng’s Opens for Business

Eng’s, one of the oldest old-school Chinese restaurants in the United States, finally opened its dining room for business, after years of offering only take-out post-Covid. Longtime fans from Kingston, NY, and well beyond flooded in to feast on both the food and the classic mid-century decor. If they were lucky, they enjoyed the strains of a local jazz combo.—RS

Sargent Striver

A Metropolitan Museum of Art show about the world’s greatest portrait artist during his years in the city with the most beautiful people? What could be better? “Sargent and Paris” showed young John Singer Sargent at his most sublime.—RS

Half-Pound Heaven on a Bun

The best burger in Delaware is served at the circa-1955 Charcoal Pit in Wilmington, complete with Googie architecture. The half-pounder is definitely the way to go. The satisfying natural flavor of the beef increases exponentially with the size of the patty. Nothing about the burger tastes manufactured or half-assed. It tasted like real food, like something your grandfather might have eaten.—RS

Kingly!

We liked a lot of we had at Kingsway, a lovely new pan-Asian restaurant in New Orleans’ Uptown neighborhood from chef Ashwin Vilkhu, but the Salt Baked Shrimp—gulf shrimp, with cabbage and onions—continues to haunt our memories.—RS

The Ultimate New Orleans Shot

How is it that no one before has thought to take blue crab meat and top it with a Ramos Gin Fizz and caviar and serve it in a shot glass. Well, thank God Commander’s Palace finally did. Genius.—RS

Sandwiches at Cochon Butcher

For years, people told me about Cochon Butcher in New Orleans and how good it was. And I didn’t listen. All those lost sandwich years! It’s heartbreaking. I made up for it by eating three on my first visit.—RS

Pouring One Out for Dick and Peg’s

Dick and Peg’s Northward Inn, a folksy upstate New York outpost just outside Gloversville, called it a day this year after 53 years in business. Its long, U-shaped, wooden bar was a great place for a generous Martini or Manhattan (with shaker glass side car); and its dining room served the best comfort food around—that is, if you could snag a reservation during the kitchen’s extremely limited hours of operation.—RS and MKM

Every Martini at The Martini Expo

Dale DeGroff sampling his own Martini at The Martini Expo. Photo Credit: Shannon Sturgis

What can we say? We invited the Best of the Best to The Martini Expo in Industry City, Brooklyn, and they all graciously came! Bartenders, bar owners, distillers, everyone! There wasn’t a bad Martini to be had in Industry City from noon to 8 p.m. on Sept. 13. It may have been the highest concentration of top quality Martinis in one space at one time in history!—RS and MKM

Burnt Ends of Kansas City

I love burnt ends. I also love oxtail and a host of other things that were either given away for free or just “poor people food,” but now cost serious bucks. I am lucky enough to be able to buy oxtails and prepare them deliciously at home, but that cannot be said for burnt ends. God bless you Kansas City and your delicious burnt ends sandwiches! You will always be my special place.—MKM

Toledo Surprise

An undersung regional food is the Chili Mac of Toledo, which is chili and macaroni (that is, spaghetti), along with onions, beans and cheese in whatever combination you desire. None may do it better than Ideal Hot Dog. As the name hints, they also serve a mean frankfurter. Covered in chili, of course.—RS

Donohue’s East

Any New Yorker with any sense is devoted to Donohue’s, Manhattan’s smallest steak house. The Upper East Side, mid-century time capsule is an absolute charmer. Against all odds, the owning family has transferred that charm to a second location in Westhampton, Long Island. Same meat-and-potatoes grub, same blackboard specials, same Simple-Yet-Significant cocktails.—RS

Lucy the Elephant

If you grow up hearing your mom talk about a photo of her and her little brother at the top of Lucy the Elephant, along with other Atlantic City lore, and then take your octogenarian parents to visit every time you drive them to gamble in A.C., you’re going to get attached to Lucy anyway. But, when you hear that you can finally tour the inside of Lucy, yes, this is your favorite day of the year.—MKM

Pierogis in A-Flat Major

I ate a lot of pierogis during a recent visit to Poland, but the best were the ones that came out of the kitchen at the Chopin Vodka Distillery—actually made by the wife of one of Chopin’s potato farmers!—RS

The Milwaukee Mix Is Born

Image by Mark Ward.

What better way to commemorate our move to Milwaukee than by launching a sister Substack of The Mix dedicated to the culture of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and more. The region is inexhaustible in terms of stories. The first post dropped Nov 18 (and is free for paid Mix subscribers, just request it at marykatemurray@me.com) and there’s so much more to come!—RS and MKM

Florentine Fettuccini

We found it difficult to eat poorly during a recent jaunt in Florence, what with the wild boar dishes, Bistecca alla Fiorentino and Peposa beef stew. It was hard to choose a favorite dish. But not impossible. The fettuccini with black cabbage and pancetta at the tiny Vini e Vecchi Sapori, which is just steps from the Piazza della Signoria, took the prize. It was a surprising and succulent panoply of flavors, with chewy thick bits of pancetta countered by tangy sour strips of black cabbage.—RS and MKM.

Schnitzel It All!

Who would have thought that a skate wing would stand up to the schnitzel treatment? Jon Nodler and Samantha Kincaid, the owners of the new restaurant Canter Inn in New Glarus, WI. That’s who! And they were right.—RS

Live Guaraldi

If there’s a more hip Christmas tradition that listening to the jazz trio The Commercialists’ annual journey through the entire score of Vince Guaraldi’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at the snug Jazz Estate, we haven’t heard of it.—RS and MKM

A Hot Dog at Trails End

Bob’s Trails End, a roadhouse near the railroad tracks in Oshkosh, WI, has been making hot dogs topped with mustard, onion and chili sauce for more than 100 years, using the same recipe all the while. There’s a reason. They’re damn good hot dogs! And served in a classic saloon atmosphere.—RS

Manitowoc Burgers

Could Manitowoc, Wisconsin, be a sleeper burger city? Based on the work of Bud Willman’s Lunch (since 1955) and Late’s Restaurant (since 1948), it may be. Both served superlative old-school burgers, with thin patties on flakey, soft rolls. A secret weapon for both here may be the buns made at the local Bakery on State.—RS

They’ve Still Got It

Checked in on the Cosmopolitan at The Odeon, where the cocktail was invented. Liked it so much, I had a second.—RS

Shaved Ice Cocktails

Margarita at Gus’ Sip & Dip.

My favorite cocktails of 2025 may have been the two that were topped with frosty mountains of shaved ice. Two came from Gus’ Sip & Dip in Chicago—their house Margarita and Hemingway Daiquiri. The third was the Floridita #3 Daiquiri at Bar Kabawa in Manhattan. Everyone knows a cocktail needs to be cold to be any good. These bars take no chances.—RS

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And that’s a wrap. 2026 is already looking good. Trips to D.C. and Las Vegas are already on the calendar. This year’s Mixer for paid subscribers will take place in Chicago, at a place TBA. And my new book, Bourbon and Rye Cocktails, out in October, will doubtless take us around and about. (If you are a book store owner or bar owner who would like to see a book tour stop in your town, please reach out to me.) See you all next year in the pages at The Mix and The Milwaukee Mix—and hopefully both!

As for today, New Year’s Eve, below is a cocktail recipes I came up with some years ago for The New York Times. The paper must have liked it; they reposted it a few days ago!

—Robert and Mary Kate

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American 25

Robert Simonson, Brooklyn, NY, 2014

• 1 ounce bonded apple brandy, preferably Laird’s

• ¼ ounce smoky Scotch (Laphroaig 10-year-old is a good option)

• ½ ounce fresh lemon juice

• ½ ounce simple syrup (1:1)

• 3 to 4 ounces Champagne

• Lemon twist

In a cocktail shaker filled three-quarters with ice, combine the apple brandy, Scotch, lemon juice and simple syrup. Shake until chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into a flute. Top with chilled Champagne. Squeeze the lemon twist over the glass, then drop it into the drink.

Here’s to 2026!

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My Favorite Day

My Favorite Day at Work. L. to r.: Robert, David Fishman, and Robert A.M. Stern.

Another way in which this past year was momentous was in the passing of my boss, architect Robert A.M. Stern, on Thanksgiving. Today, Dec. 31, is my last day at work. It’s been almost four years and I’ve enjoyed so much of my time at RAMSA. Having worked for David Rockwell, Michael Graves, Deborah Berke and now Robert A.M. Stern over the course of three decades, I was able to feed my love for architecture, history and design and get paid at the same time. I learned a lot from each person and I’m grateful for that.

Here is a photo I took of my favorite day at work. Robert Simonson generously offered to come and make Bob, a client and an architectural team Martinis just the way Bob liked them. (He had by that time switched to gin from his beloved vodka.) —The drinks were waiting for the client and team to arrive.

One of Bob’s regular co-authors, David Fishman, stopped up to go over some pages from the yet to be published New York 2020 with him. Bob kept joking with Robert and, with incredibly dry delivery, Robert would reply, “Good one, Bob.” They both laughed a lot because great comedic duos don’t happen every day (lolz). This was the last day Bob was in the office. Today is mine. Cheers. 🍸

—MKM