In the third instalment of our series in partnership with GREY GOOSE® Vodka, we meet high-flying chef Mr Dan Doherty.

Way up on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower, Mr Dan Doherty has one of the best views in London. In a city that brims with culinary inventiveness, he has risen above the competition – literally and metaphorically. Executive chef at Duck & Waffle – the innovative high-rise British restaurant where you can get breakfast or brunch 24 hours a day – he’s a standout selection for this series on outstanding talent, made in partnership with GREY GOOSE® – THE WORLD’S BEST TASTING VODKA, which is a firm fixture on the drinks menu way up here. 

At the age of 16, Mr Doherty was happily learning his trade “working in a little restaurant back home in Shropshire,” until his mother persuaded him (Mr Doherty uses the words “dragged kicking and screaming”) to make the journey to Bournemouth to take the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Specialised Chefs Scolarship. He got a taste for life in the city and consequently set off for London to embark on a three-year apprenticeship at the Michelin-starred 1 Lombard Street – then led by Mr Herbert Berger.

Mr Doherty describes the experience at 1 Lombard Street as “brutal”. But during his time there, he progressed from apprentice to chef de partie, and he learnt the skills – and, crucially, found the grit and determination – that gave him the confidence to experiment with modern styles of cooking. After head chef positions at The Ambassador, a contemporary European restaurant in Exmouth Market, and then The Empress in Victoria Park, it was opening The Old Brewery in 2010 (a restaurant and microbrewery in Greenwich) where he was nominated for various best restaurant awards and received five stars from Time Out. More importantly, he established the reputation he now holds as an authoritative and experimental British chef.

Duck & Waffle is known for such creations as the ox cheek doughnut, but he also serves a “classic” roast chicken, with potato wild mushroom and truffle ragout. “I feel like I have two sides to me,” says Mr Doherty, who in 2014 became the youngest ever chef to be accepted into the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts. “The first is the classic cooking side. Not straying from traditional styles or methods, whether it’s British or Japanese. Then there is the playful side that is curious and wants to mess about a bit.”

This is partly the reason he and GREY GOOSE® were so happy to work together – with the help of mixologist Mr Rich Woods, Duck & Waffle and GREY GOOSE® collaborated on a pop-up 24-hour French café-style bar for London Cocktail Week. Here, they showcased experimental cocktails, including an Espresso Martini cocktail, a White Russian Affogato and the Breakfast Fizz – a unique drink with the aroma of burnt toast which has become a permanent addition to the Duck & Waffle menu. All three cocktails have been joined by new concoctions – the Ristretto Negroski (GREY GOOSE® La Poire, Amaro, vermouth and 24-hour slow-drip coffee) and Le Café Spritz (GREY GOOSE® Le Citron, white wine, peach liqueur and citron bitters – spritzed) – to become part of Duck & Goose’s “12 Days of Christmas” campaign. 

Like Mr Doherty, GREY GOOSE® ensures it sources the best quality ingredients to create the finest product around. It also relates to any craftsman who goes the extra mile and uses innovative methods to create something truly special.

Although Mr Doherty works grueling hours (thankfully, he doesn’t work the full 24 hours a day that Duck & Waffle stays open for), entertaining guests at home is equally important to him, especially at this time of year. It is the central theme to his new book Toast Hash Roast Mash. “Downtime is important,” Mr Doherty says. “I just love cooking at home. It’s so much more personal when you’re all sat around a table eating together.” And of course, with food, comes drink. “You simply can’t have one without the other and to not care as much about sourcing your tipple as you do your food is a big mistake.” Usually, it is his cooking that impresses his guests (“I cook something that looks way harder than it is, and make them think I’ve been slaving away for hours”). He is partial to serving GREY GOOSE® Vodka for similar reasons. “GREY GOOSE® is a classy brand, and so is the product inside [the bottle] which is so important to me – I love the clean finish with GREY GOOSE®, and it works great as a base for cocktails, too.”

As if to prove his point, we have captured him enjoying a GREY GOOSE® cocktail at a friend’s house on a winter’s evening. “The Fireside is my ideal cocktail. Lots of citrus, and rosemary is something I love infused in a drink.” Coming from a chef who works at on the 40th floor, this brings a new meaning to high praise.

Discover more with GREY GOOSE® Vodka

GREY GOOSE® VODKA © 2016 GREY GOOSE®, ITS TRADE DRESS AND THE GEESE DEVICE ARE TRADEMARKS. SIP RESPONSIBLY.