Meet our Creators

Hospitality professionals Libby Lingua & Mitch Lyons have been each others’ right hand since 2016 in working, operating, and overseeing nationally recognized high volume craft cocktail programs. Focusing on hospitality & quality progressive programming, the duo have continued to advance the Arizona market with their flagship beverage program at Highball Cocktail Bar in Downtown Phoenix, AZ. Starting with a blank slate in a historic building & opening in the midst of a pandemic, the vision for the space was to create a cozy yet sophisticated cocktail lounge with a “Big City” feel that offered comfort, first & foremost, with quality, intriguing cocktails and an all-inclusive feel. With a two month turnaround time on the build out, Highball Cocktail Bar opened its doors in October of 2020, and since then, the team has secured numerous accolades both locally & nationally, including Phoenix New Times ‘Best New Bar 2021’, Phoenix Magazine’s Best of the Valley 2021 ‘Best New Cocktail Bar’, and most recently, a Regional Nomination for Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s Spirited Awards-Top 10 Best New Cocktail Bar US-West 2022, considered the ‘Academy Awards’ of the cocktail industry.

 


  • Co-Program Creator & Design Visionary

    Originally from Pennsylvania, Libby Lingua began her career in the beverage industry over ten years ago tending bar while obtaining her B.S. in Fashion Merchandising & Marketing in Western Pennsylvania. As a natural creative, Libby has adapted her eye for style & design into her passion for the hospitality industry & liquid culture, previously working for Marriott Autograph Collection and Barter & Shake Creative Hospitality, the group behind both the acclaimed UnderTow and Century Grand. Libby’s desire to create immersive sensory experiences through food & beverage has led her to branch into restaurant & brand consulting. Fast forward to 2020, when the pandemic severely wrought havoc on the service industry, an opportunity presented itself to consult & create a cocktail program for an up and coming high end Coastal French restaurant in Scottsdale, AZ, through which the company Two Hands Consulting LLC came to fruition in partnership with Libby's long time colleague and friend Mitch Lyons. Lingua & Lyons worked together since 2016 as original bar team members & management in the opening of UnderTow, the nationally recognized craft tiki bar, followed by Century Grand, the award winning turn of the century Art Deco train concept. The duo, previously acting as Director of Operations (Lingua) and Director of Bars (Lyons) for Barter & Shake Creative Hospitality, parted ways with the company and opened Highball Cocktail Bar, Downtown Phoenix's newest neighborhood cocktail lounge. Located on 7th Ave & McDowell in the space that was formally Sidebar, Highball Cocktail Bar offers quality cocktails of a vast selection, a rousing collection of spirits, a beautiful copper bar, deep leather couches, exposed historic brick with touches of velvet & vintage wrought iron, and a comfortable, low-key vibe for all walks of life. Led by veteran bartenders and industry professionals, Highball's programming is inspired by unifying avant-garde, playful ingredients and memory-jogging flavors, propelled by an inclusive community feel with something for everyone to enjoy. In the future, Lingua & Lyons plan on expanding the brand of Two Hands Consulting into a hospitality group, paving the way for the beverage industry in Phoenix, and inspiring the next generation of industry professionals.


  • Co-Program Creator & Spirits Guru

    Arizona native Mitch Lyons, got is foot in the industry door at the tender age of 13, where he first developed his love for the F&B industry. His first job behind the bar was during his college career at Northern Arizona University. Post graduation, Mitch's passion for travel took him all over the world, bartending in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and Costa Rica. Upon returning to the United States, he worked at Breadfruit & Rum Bar in Downtown Phoenix, where he was given the platform to further push his knowledge of spirits, cocktails & technique and assist in the development of the beverage program. He later moved on to Nook Kitchen as acting bar manager where he was able to share his skills and apply his passions to develop other quality bartenders while learning the business side of the industry. Mitch joined the Barter & Shake Creative Hospitality family upon the UnderTow’s conception, paving the way for the successes of these the subterranean tiki experience, including a nomination for ‘Best New American Cocktail Bar 2017’ at Tales of the Cocktails, securing a spot in the Top 10 Best Tiki Bars in the World 2017 by Critiki.com, and Best Beverage Program 2018 by the Arizona Restaurant Association. Mitch was the Director of Bars for the opening of Century Grand, Barter & Shake’s turn of the century escapism cocktail bar. Helping to secure a Top 4 nomination for ‘Best New American Cocktail Bar 2020’ at Tales of the Cocktails.