Kyle McHugh

Kyle McHugh has spent his entire adult life behind bars all over the United States, including Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and Chicago. He has worked in clubs, high-volume restaurants, local taverns, and in the homes of America’s elite. Beyond continuing his studies with industry icons such as Master Sommelier Serafin Alvarado, Master Mixologist Bridget Albert, and Radical Brewing author and beer expert Randy Mosher, Kyle conducts classes of his own on beer, wine, spirits and bartending for groups of 1-100. He is a member of the United States Bartenders Guild, American Homebrewers Association, and Museum of the American Cocktail, as well as a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers. Kyle’s work has been featured in media outlets including the Fine Living Network, Metromix Television, Paper Magazine, Time Out Chicago, Chicago Scene, The Chicago Reader, RedEye, and The Chicago Sun-Times. He is one of only 10 tw0-time invitees to the annual Grand Marnier & Navan Mixology Summit in Colorado, and was selected as one of 29 finalists in the 2008 Las Vegas Bar & Nightclub Show’s “Shake It Up” competition.

In lieu of the typical graduate school route, Kyle pursues his passions to learn about all things drink related on a global scale. He has enjoyed snake whiskey in the wondrous Mekong Delta, Vietnam; Cabernet Sauvignon in the beautiful mountains of Limassol, Cyprus; and 2000 ml cans of Asahi from the equally beautiful beer vending machines of Kobe, Japan. The human race has been making deliciously boozy beverages for 7000 years - Kyle's goal is to share in and learn as much about these global drinking traditions as he can first hand, and pass his experiences and passion for learning along to all those willing to listen.

A native of Battle Ground, Washington, Kyle is now based out of Chicago, Illinois, where he shares his life with the beautiful and talented star of the musical stage, Kelli Morgan. Besides his work as The Boozehound, he is currently in the midst of opening his own boutique beer, wine, and spirits specialty shop in downtown Chicago, and has plans to open a full-service classic bar of his own in the Chicago area in 2010.