Echo Lake and Undercurrent are rum-focused cocktail bars in Williamsburg, Brooklyn from renowned rum expert Paul McGee and partner Chloe Frechette. With over 30 years experience in the hospitality industry, McGee is one of the most respected and lauded bartenders in America. He has come up through the ranks working behind bars in his native city of Houston, Las Vegas and Chicago. While in Chicago, he is credited with opening some of the best bars in the country—The Whistler, Three Dots and a Dash, Cherry Circle Room, Milk Room and Lost Lake.

Paul became a master in the tropical cocktail genre with the opening of Three Dots and a Dash in 2013 earning multiple accolades including “Best New American Cocktail Bar” at Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards and placed #28 in the “The World’s 50 Best Bars” in its inaugural year. His bar, Lost Lake (2015-2022), was recognized as the “Best American Cocktail Bar, ” and “Outstanding Bar Team,” at Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards, and was a James Beard Foundation Award finalist for “Outstanding Bar Program” four years in a row. Lost Lake also earned a spot on the “The World’s 50 Best Bars” list, as well as being named Time Out Chicago’s “Bar of the Year,” Chicago Magazine’s “Best New Bar,” one of Esquire’s “Best Bars in America” and Imbibe's “Cocktail Bar of the Year.” In addition to operating his own bars and restaurants, Paul has consulted for Hilton and Ace Hotels as well as helped develop products for major liquor producers.

Before opening Echo Lake and Undercurrent with partner McGee, Chloe Frechette served as executive editor at Punch, a James Beard Award–winning media brand dedicated to drinks and drinking culture, where she worked from 2016 to 2025. With nearly a decade of experience covering cocktail culture around the world, she is a trusted authority in the bar industry with a deep network of leading bartenders, operators, and drinks professionals. She brings to this next chapter a refined sense of storytelling and a sharp focus on guest experience, shaping bars that feel as compelling as they are original.