Raising the bar 

Like many students, former London Metropolitan University student Danny 

Varley, 30, did extra bar work to make ends meet. He now manages the bar 

at one of the capital's hippest hangouts in East London, Berber & Q.  Here he talks to STU about finding his calling and how cheap drinking can be more of a hassle than it's worth. 

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Moving to London and studying Music Industry Management and Events 

Management, Danny didn’t think he would be where he is at now. He enjoyed 

being a student not only for the government loan but also as it served a 

purpose, which was to get him away from his hometown of Leeds to London, 

and to make integration as easy and affordable as possible.

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It wasn’t Danny’s love for alcohol that streamed him in the cocktail direction 

and it’s DJing that actually keeps him sane. “I like playing around and creating 

things, so I guess, as soon as I had a chance to, I jumped at it. I would never 

advise anyone to drink a lot… but when you do, you kind of desire new and 

different things, so maybe that’s why I fell into it.”

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The good life 

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Since graduating from university and before becoming one of London’s most 

sought-after guys, Danny ventured into various schemes to make his name. 

One of the first was helping set up the Pop-Up for Flat Iron, now a successful 

steak chain. Success, it would seem, follows Danny around. 

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Other projects aside, Danny is happiest at Berber & Q, possibly the only 

restaurant given a good review by the Observer's notorious food critic, Jay 

Rayner. “It’s literally the best job I’ve ever had. I have free rein to do what I 

want on the drinks side of things, and able to have loads of fun and work with 

the most amazing, understanding people,” he said. 

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“In this industry, it’s so much more satisfying to work for a small company and 

closely with the owners, rather than for some faceless team of people 

ordering you around via email.”

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Changing attitudes 

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One customer remarked on Danny’s cocktails as being magical. Zehra 

Louise, 24, is a trainee vet said she really isn’t a fan of alcohol, but was blown 

away by Danny's Sarah Naarda - a mixture of gin, violet liqueur, elderflower 

cordial and lavender bitter. 

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“I’m always the one out my friends to sit and nurse a drink for hours, never 

really wanting to have another but I had at least three with my dinner!” Louise 

admits. 

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Danny detests the title mixologist. “I think it sounds a bit pretentious or 

pompous slightly. It brings to mind an air of a know-it-all, and I don’t think 

making drinks for people should be like that.”

 

From this, it's hard to say Danny is anything but modest - and his northern "no frills" attitude is evident. 

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"On paper, I guess I’m a 'Bar Manager and Consultant',” he added. “But I’m 

not big on titles so I say things like 'Alcohol Enthusiast' or 'Drink Developer'."

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Advice from the expert? “You genuinely do get what you pay for when it 

comes to alcohol. I’d say spend the majority of your budget on a good quality 

base spirit, and keep it as simple as possible. 

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"It’s amazing what you can do with a couple of ingredients and, say, some 

sugar. The better the quality of booze you’re putting in there, the easier the 

hangover will be, not to mention the taste of the drink.”

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Danny plans to follow Berber & Q wherever they may take him but, his cocktails may just be popping up elsewhere too. 

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Alesha Oner