CheekyChicago

Lynn House, resident mixologist extraordinaire at Graham Elliot in River North, may be petite in stature but her drinks pack a big punch – and so does she. After recently being blown away by her cocktail menu and her super-cool attitude, we knew this was a story of both artistry and female empowerment that other like-minded, hard-working women in town needed to hear. Cheeky was lucky enough to sit down with Lynn to learn more about her journey, her passion and her Prozac.

Cheeky: Mixology is such a unique field. How did you find it?

Lynn: It kinda found me. After working in the restaurant industry for over 20 years, I took a class at the Academy of Spirits and Fine Service (which is actually an industry secret). I was taught by Bridget Albert – an internationally-known mixologist who placed second in the world at the Bacardi Grande Prixe: an international mixology competition you can enter only once in your life. The course was a 12-week intensive and I graduated Valedictorian. She saw a gift in me, I guess, and I consider her an inspiration, both as a professional in the field and as a woman.

Cheeky: So, how did you begin your career in mixology?

Lynn: I first dabbled in creating drinks at Chalkboard in Lincoln Square, where I waitressed for a bit. I created the “Chalkboard 75,” which I made for fun and the drink took off. I then moved on to become one of the three original master bartenders at Le Passage and received national recognition for the first time in my life. TimeOut featured my “Latin Petal” and Forbes Traveler mentioned me and Debbie Peek (another one of the three) as rising women in the industry. It was kind of crazy, but really exciting.

Cheeky: Where do you find the inspiration for your drinks?

Lynn: Well, I am a self-taught cook – cooking is my Prozac. I love it. I experiment a lot and have decade’s worth of Gourmet, Bon Appétit and Food & Wine magazines and am always researching. I am inspired by cuisine. I think it’s important to remember we can balance food with cocktails and not just with wine.

Cheeky: You’ve named some of your drinks “The Cranberries”, “Tainted Love” and “Chopin’s Prelude.” How do you come up with these names?

Lynn: Well, sometimes the drink inspires the name and sometimes the name inspires the drink. I am usually inspired by music and find names from song, album and band titles. I also try to play up the history or culture of a certain ingredient. I try to be adventuresome with how I name them. All my drinks have some sort of personal touch and I hope that connects to my customers.

Cheeky: Tell us how you ended up as the head mixologist for Graham Elliot.

Lynn: This is a testament to the saying, “If you never ask for it, you’ll never get it.” Graham wasn’t even looking for a mixologist. In fact, a cocktail program wasn’t part of his plan at all. I went in to meet with him and brought along a portfolio – yes, a portfolio. He was shocked and I was hired within an hour. I am very lucky to work with him – he has given me total creative freedom. I created four drinks for his first menu and I was nervous as hell. Well…they turned out to be a complete hit. Now, seventy percent of GE’s bar sales come from the cocktail menu. Needless to say, four drinks have now turned into ten.

Cheeky: What is your favorite drink on the GE menu and why? Perhaps one that we could recommend to all of our cheeky readers?

Lynn: It has to be the “London Calling,” which has been on the menu since we opened. I was a punk rock girl growing up and spent some time in England. This drink is inspired by The Clash’s album, as well as my favorite British cocktail: the Pimm’s Cup, which is classically Pimm’s liqueur, ginger ale and fruit juices. I took every ingredient and deconstructed it. So I take Pimm’s #1 and blend it with Plymouth Gin, playing up the juniper. I take apples from my own backyard – talk about going local – and cook them into apple butter and blend them with a light homemade apple juice. I use ginger water instead of ginger ale, which is dried ginger sugar and hot water that creates a not-so-sweet simple syrup. Then I add in some fresh lemon to give it some acidity.

Cheeky: That sounds amazing – a little labor intensive, though.

Lynn: Well – there’s more. I make my own cucumber soda. I juice whole seedless cucumbers, spray in some soda water using an old school soda siphon gun, and you’ve got your fizz. Serve on ice with a slice of cucumber…

Cheeky: I’m thirsty now… Is there something you’d like to leave our cheeky readers with?

Lynn: This is a hard field to be a woman. Not unlike many fields, our male counterparts have an easier time getting noticed. We have to work a little harder but with that, we bring along a unique perspective to this industry. Women have different tastes, different inspirations, different palates and I believe we have something amazing to offer.

Cheeky would have to agree. We also agree that these cocktails are not to be tried at home. Go into Graham Elliot and sample Lynn’s genius for yourself. And, most importantly, spend some time chatting with her at her bar. Her cheekiness is as refreshing as her homemade cucumber soda.