The Challenge

Lynn House is Heaven Hill Brands’ National Spirits Specialist and Portfolio Mixologist. In her role, she is responsible for the support of the entire Heaven Hill portfolio with emphasis on on-premise focused brands, including Deep Eddy Vodka. She oversees brand and spirit category education, cocktail development for both national and local programming and identification of current and upcoming cocktail trends.

Most recently, she was recognized as the 2023 American Whiskey Brand Ambassador of the Year by the Whisky Magazine Icons of Whisky Awards. She was also recognized as the Best U.S. Brand Ambassador at the 2022 Tales Spirited Awards. In 2012 Lynn was inducted into the Dame Hall of Fame and was named one of the year’s Bartender Inconoclasts by the Sundance Channel.

Prior to joining Heaven Hill Brands, Lynn served as Chief Mixologist and Beverage Director at Blackbird Restaurant in Chicago, where she organically developed the first mixology program. Previous experience in her 25 years in hospitality includes Chief Mixologist and Beverage Director at Michelin two-star restaurant Graham Elliot. She is, also, one of the original Master Bartender at The Drawing Room.

Christine Wiseman has served as Bar Lab Hospitality’s Beverage Director for the past 2 years, part of a career spanning 20 years in hospitality. A West Virginia native, Christine worked her way up the corporate restaurant ladder in her home state, eventually landing a bartending position at Virtue Feed & Grain in Alexandria, VA, where she trained under craft cocktail innovator Todd Thrasher. In 2012, Christine relocated to Los Angeles to work at chef Michael Voltaggio newly opened restaurant, Ink. At Ink, Wiseman honed her craft utilizing the fresh, California ingredients and learning pioneering techniques. Christine went on to work at acclaimed LA bars & restaurants such as La Descarga, leading the innovative beverage program at Break Room 86 and finally joining Broken Shaker LA.

Since joining the Bar Lab Hospitality team, Christine has been recognized as a semi-finalist for American Bartender of The Year (2018 and 2019, Spirited Award), a finalist for American Bartender of the Year 2020 and 2022 and as an Imbibe 75 Person to Watch for 2023. Christine’s fun, colorful (and sometimes sparkly) cocktails typically walk the line with unexpected ingredients and tried-and-true, craveable flavor combinations. Christine was just named North America’s Bartenders Bartender 2023 for 50 Best Bars and the 2023 Bartender of the Year.

Jeffrey Morgenthaler is an award-winning bartender and author from Portland, Oregon. He has worked behind the bar full-time since 1996 everywhere from neighborhood taverns and college nightclubs, to fine restaurants and upscale cocktail bars. He is the co-owner of Portland’s newest cocktail bar, Pacific Standard. Prior to this, he managed the seven-time James Beard Award-nominated bar program at Clyde Common, and the highly celebrated Pepe Le Moko.

Jeffrey has been writing about his experience with bartending and cocktails for several years at his website, jeffreymorgenthaler.com. He has been a regular columnist for Playboy Magazine, and contributes to a myriad of other publications, including Imbibe, Fine Cooking, and Punch. He is the best-selling author of the world’s first book devoted entirely to cocktail technique, “The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique”.

In 2018 he released his second book, Drinking Distilled and was a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers, where he fortunately didn’t burn the place down with his version of the classic flaming coffee drink, the Spanish Coffee.

Deep Eddy Vodka (70-80 proof), a premium spirits company based in Austin, Texas, is one of the fastest growing premium spirits in the United States. As a recipient of the Impact Hot Brand Award for two straight years and Beverage Information Group Growth Brand Award each of the past three years, Deep Eddy Vodka is an award-winning vodka recognized for its unique production process and incorporation of real, natural ingredients in its flavors. Born in Austin TX, Deep Eddy Vodka is ten times distilled and handcrafted in small batches using only premium ingredients.

The company’s line of products include: Deep Eddy Original Vodka, Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka, Deep Eddy Ruby Red Vodka, Deep Eddy Cranberry Vodka, Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka, Deep Eddy Peach Vodka, Deep Eddy Orange Vodka, Deep Eddy Lime Vodka, and Deep Eddy Vodka Hard Seltzers. More information on the company can be found at @DeepEddyVodka on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or at www.deepeddyvodka.com.