What does it take to be Heaven Hill’s National Spirits Specialist and Portfolio Mixologist? We sat down with Lynn House to find out. ​

Tell me about your background before joining the Heaven Hill Family.

I’m from Columbus, Ohio, but I live in Chicago now. I went to theater school at Miami University of Ohio and then went on to attend the British American Acting Academy in Oxford, England. I was a professional actor for a number of years and worked in bars and restaurants waiting tables and bartending on the side. This was during the craft cocktail era and I loved the creativity of the bartending process. I decided to hone and refine those skills even more and attended the Academy of Spirits and Fine Service where I earned numerous certifications. I went on to work for several Michelin Star bars and restaurants where I gained a ton of experience. I was the original Master Bartender at The Drawling Room, which is one of Chicago’s first true cocktail bars, and I was the Chief Mixologist and Beverage Director for Blackbird Restaurant in Chicago.
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How has your role with Heaven Hill evolved over the years?

I was first hired as the PAMA National Brand Ambassador. I focused strictly on traveling around the country promoting and talking about PAMA in accounts. I think I traveled about 32 weeks that first year with the company. Having ran beverage programs for years, focusing on one product was difficult because I had the urge to creatively incorporate other products in the portfolio. I started to do just that and about a year and a half into working for Heaven Hill they created a National Brand Educator position. This coincided with the acquisition of Domaine de Canton, which I already knew really well because Chicago was a launch market for the product. That created a natural transition to start incorporating Domaine de Canton, Sacred Bond Brandy, and Dubonnet into my work. Eventually it just made sense for me to touch the entire portfolio. That’s how my new role of National Spirits Specialist and Portfolio Mixologist came to be. I’m still traveling about three weeks per month, but my scope has grown to include support of local and national teams with cocktail and menu development, spirit classification trainings with trade and consumers, bartender and consumer education, distributor presentations and trainings, and more.
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What does a typical day as a Heaven Hill Ambassador look like for you?

Every day is very different. In general, I start the day out with trainings on menu development in an account, helping bars understand how to utilize the Heaven Hill portfolio, to capitalize on consumer trends and to increase profitability. Then I may lead a bartender education event talking about specific brands, how to compete with confidence, or how to run a profitable beverage program. This could be followed by a distributor presentation where I share our products with our distributor partners emphasizing the versatility of each one and conduct a tasting. Additionally, I lead specific brand trainings, attend happy hours with distributor or trade representatives, as well as formal dinners entertaining distributors and supporting accounts. Throughout the day we may also stop into local accounts to support their beverage program or to meet with the beverage director and build Heaven Hill’s relationship with the account. I’m typically in two or three different accounts per day, sometimes with a large group including several accounts.
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What are some ways our sales team can utilize your skills in market to enhance their programming?

Although I have a new title, I am still very much in market as a resource. The difference is that I can be even more of a creative source and asset to help in reaching distribution and depletion goals. I’m a great problem solver for the team whether that be helping them get their foot in the door at a difficult account, helping them expand their offerings at an account, earning menu placements, or presenting to distributors. As an ambassador, I can talk about the versatility of our brands by creating a personalized presentation that will appeal to a specific audience. I can work with accounts on menu ideation geared toward their audience, host mixology classes, and more. The key is to make people enthusiastic about our brands, help them see how they can utilize them in their business, and ultimately sell them on our products. I encourage the sales team to reach out with their ideas and we can work together to develop a strategy for success.
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What is your most memorable moment with Heaven Hill?

It would have to be my first week of formal training. I was in Bardstown for the day to do a tour of the facility and everyone kept saying Max would be giving me a ride back to Louisville. Naturally, I assumed they were talking about Max Stefka, but it turned out to be Max Shapira! I had an OMG moment when I realized they were talking about the president of the company. Turns out we ended up having one of the most animated conversations ever about everything from Chicago to doughnuts and burgers and we just had the best time laughing. I couldn’t believe I was casually riding in the front seat of this industry titan’s car. When he dropped me off at my hotel, he reminded me that the company was excited to be investing in me – so don’t mess it up!
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What is your favorite thing about your job?

The people. Once you’re hired and start getting to know the rest of the staff it all makes sense. You’re not just an employee, you become a new member of this huge, historic family. I work with some of the most incredible people and have developed friendships that will last a lifetime.
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What is your favorite Heaven Hill product and cocktail?

Sacred Bond Brandy was part of the first innovation project I got to work on with Heaven Hill, so it holds a special place in my heart. It definitely speaks to the quirkiness of my personality and has a lot of heart and soul of its own. As for a cocktail, I love a Ginger Sidecar because I have always been a big cognac fan. It’s simply Sacred Bond, Domaine de Canton, and fresh lemon juice built over ice. The Sacred Bond with the complexity of the Cognac base of Domaine de Canton really lend to each other nicely.
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What is something you cannot live without that is not family or friends?

Shoes. I don’t think I have ever met a shoe that I didn’t like. Sacha London is one of my favorite designers and I was actually able to shop in their flagship store in London. I also really love cookbooks, I read them like other people read the newspaper. Silver Spoon, which is a complete anthology of Italian cuisine is my favorite. I received my copy when I was working at a restaurant called Hot Chocolate. The chef overheard me talking about it all the time and ended up getting me a copy for Christmas.
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What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?

Visit museums. It doesn’t matter what kind, if I’m traveling, I always try to visit one. My favorite is the Tate Gallery in London. It’s one of the last free museums in the world and holds some of the most breathtaking paintings.
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What are three cocktails everyone should learn to make to impress guests?

• A classic Old Fashioned because most people have had a bad one
• A Margarita with fresh juice because it’s life changing
• A Dubonnet Spritz because it’s an out of the box way to serve Champagne or sparkling wine​​​