Martini Expo
Chicago EditionThe Martini Expo is bringing its one-of-a-kind experience to Chicago in 2026 with an expanded schedule and more events hosted in the incredible venues that make Chicago such a unique eating and drinking city. This is the premier gathering for everyone who loves, makes, sells, and writes about the world's greatest cocktail!
Martini Expo Chicago will also showcase the finest talent Chicago has to offer, alongside some well-regarded bartenders from outside of the Windy City. Our Martini Masters party will be one to remember, bringing the best in the business together to showcase their talents serving up Martini variations for a remarkable evening that will be one for the ages.
The Minds Behind the Martini expo
ROBERT SIMONSON
co-founder of The Martini Expo
Robert is the co-founder of The Martini Expo and co- founder of The Mix With Robert Simonson, the newsletter that is the event’s producer. A veteran journalist and author, he is recognized as one of the leading authorities on cocktails, spirits and bar culture in the world. He is the author of seven books about cocktails and cocktail history.
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His books include:
The Old-Fashioned(2014) - kicked off an ongoing cottage industry of single-drink cocktail books
A Proper Drink (2016), the first, and so far only, history of the current cocktail renaissance
3-Ingredient Cocktails (2017) - Nominated for James Beard Awards
The Martini Cocktail (2019) - Nominated for James Beard Awards
Mezcal and Tequila Cocktails (2021)
Modern Classic Cocktails (2022)
Bourbon and Rye Cocktails (will be released in October 2026)
Since 2009, he has written about cocktails, spirits, food and travel for The New York Times, where he had been a contributor since 2000. He was a primary contributor to “The New York Times Essential Book of Cocktails.”
Since 2024, he has penned the “Bar Tab” column at The Wall Street Journal. He also writes regularly for Imbibe, New York magazine, Grub Street, Men’s Journal and Vinepair; and has, in the past, contributed to Punch, Esquire, Food & Wine, Lucky Peach and Bon Appetit.
Simonson co-founded with Mary Kate Murray the prominent Substack newsletter “The Mix with Robert Simonson” in January 2022. The newsletter—which covers everything from cocktails and regional food to travel and theater—won an IACP Award in 2024 and was nominated for a Spirited Award in 2023. Robert is also the recipient of a 2019 Spirited Award for best cocktail and spirits writer; and a 2021 IACP award for narrative beverage writing.
In 2025, Simonson and Murray founded the sister newsletter, The Milwaukee Mix. That same year, they founded The Martini Expo, the first cocktail convention produced by a cocktail and spirits publication. Simonson is the co-author, with Martin Doudoroff, of two apps, “Modern Classics of the Cocktail Renaissance” and “The Martini Cocktail.” He is a member of The Order of the Writ, a fraternal, and charitable organization founded to promote the legacy of Kentucky Bourbon. A native of Wisconsin, he and his wife, Mary Kate, divide their time between New York and Milwaukee.
Mary Kate Murray
co-founder of The Martini Expo
Mary Kate is the co-founder of The Martini Expo and co-founder of The Mix with Robert Simonson, the newsletter that is the event’s producer. As The Mix’s managing editor, photographer and contributing writer, she is able to incorporate her lifelong study and practice of these subjects in a forum where her passions lie.
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Murray co-founded with Robert Simonson the prominent Substack newsletter “The Mix with Robert Simonson” in January 2022. The newsletter—which covers everything from cocktails and regional food to travel and theater—won an IACP Award in 2024 and was nominated for a Spirited Award in 2023. In 2025, Simonson and Murray founded the sister newsletter, The Milwaukee Mix. That same year, they founded The Martini Expo, the first cocktail convention produced by a cocktail and spirits publication. A proud Jersey girl, she and her husband Robert Simonson, divide their time between New York and Milwaukee.
CLAIRE BERTIN-LANG
founder and managing partner of Hero Events Group,
Hero Events Group is a full-service event production group that specializes in custom, high-end brand experiences, product launches, and wine & spirit event management and consulting. They’re thrilled to partner with Robert Simonson and Mary Kate Murray to produce the Martini Expo as it expands to Chicago, and bring this incredible event to the Windy City.