Robert might just be the best-known drinks writer in our whole industry; his articles on spirits, bars and cocktails appear frequently in grown-up newspapers like The New York Times as well as trade publications like PUNCH, Imbibe and Vinepair. He's written more than half a dozen books on bars, spirits and cocktails, co-authored two cocktail apps and has his own signature Old Fashioned kit from Cocktail Kingdom as well as "The Mix", his extremely popular Substack newsletter.  His newest book, "The Encyclopedia of Cocktails", just came out. As you might imagine, he's a great person to sit with for a drink and a chat, and that's what went down here, covering everything from how he switched to drinks writing from being a theater critic, why he's not afraid of the threat of AI to writers, if you can earn a living writing in 2023, and his new book, The Encyclopedia of Cocktails. Along the way we also cover awards and lists, anonymity in bars, which types of books sell better and much more - give it a listen!Buy Robert's books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robert-Simonson/author/B001K8HFEA?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=trueBuy Robert's books on Indiebound: https://bookshop.org/search?affiliate=287&source=IndieBound&ref=IndieBoundSearch&keywords=robert+simonson Subscribe to The Mix, Robert's Substack: https://robertsimonson.substack.com/Buy The Simonson Old Fashioned Set: https://cocktailkingdom.com/products/robert-simonson-old-fashioned-set Robert on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RobertOSimonson/Robert on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.simonson.9?mibextid=LQQJ4dRobert's website: https://robertsimonson.net/Email Robert:  rbrtsimonson@gmail.com  Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries: consulting@liquidsolutions.orgRetain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, brand creation and repositioning: philip@liquidsolutions.org Philip on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/oldduffgenever?lang=en www.oldduffgenever.com Buy Old Duff Genever: http://www.oldduffgenever.com/order-page.html