Iain McPherson opened Edinburgh bar Panda & Sons more than a decade ago. Since then, the prolific cocktail innovator has become a much-loved and hugely respected figure in the bar universe, culminating in him winning the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2024
Iain McPherson’s grounding in hospitality was perhaps not the most conventional: his father’s family ran a corner shop in Pitlochry, a small town in the heart of Scotland, for more than a century.
“My first ever job was working in my grandad’s shop. I remember him sitting in the sun selling strawberries. I loved seeing how the little shop was at the heart of the community,” recalls McPherson.
McPherson’s love affair with mixology began in 2007, when he worked as a barback in The Voodoo Rooms in 2007 before opening Panda & Sons in 2013. It didn’t take long for his debut venue to become a go-to in Edinburgh’s thriving cocktail scene. In its first phases, the menus at Panda utilised a magpie-like collection of ingredients.
Panda & Sons opened in 2013, hidden behind a vintage barber shopfront
The 2019 Benefaction menu featured elements of drinks sourced from and inspired by the bars around the globe that McPherson was visiting as part of a continuing desire to expand his horizons. This included time studying at the Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna, which led to the creation of his Señor Scoop brand of boozy ice cream.
An experimentalist at heart, McPherson is no stranger to a bar lab. The launch of the Transcend menu in 2023 brought with it a range of sub-zero techniques that McPherson had developed and championed to fruition. This was the catalyst that prompted a succession of bars to explore these processes for themselves, with many incorporating ‘switching’ [a technique that involves freezing water in a spirit and replacing it with a different liquid such as juice], ‘sous pression’ and freeze-drying into drinks on their own menus.
Already a popular personality on the international bartending scene, demand for McPherson’s ingenious and always innovative services grew exponentially from this point. His trunk-full of bar paraphernalia, which accompanies him on excursions around the world, expanded beyond the cryo-concentrated drinks to include bamboo drink luges, inflatable panda suits and a mixed bag of ancillary party tricks.
The Transcend menu showcases McPherson's innovative techniques, such as 'sous pression'
“We get some strange looks from border guards,” he says. “They’re keen to know what the strange liquids and powders are. They usually have a little chuckle to themselves once we let them try things.”
While he grew up in Scotland, McPherson is actually half-Korean. “Going to Seoul in 2023 was a landmark for me. My mother is Korean and this was the first time I’d been back as an adult. Connecting with family I hadn’t seen for a while was amazing. Having my uncle, auntie and cousins along at my guest shift was pretty nerve-wracking. When my uncle gave me a thumbs-up once I’d put on the panda suit, it was a huge moment of relief.”
Like all good stories, McPherson’s path has taken some twists and turns and, even now, at the busiest and most celebrated time of his career, he is about to lose one of his venues due to a landlord redeveloping the site.
“Hoot the Redeemer – our fairground themed bar – is about to serve its last Corpse Reviver Number Blue slushie. Hoot was the catalyst for lots of our sub-zero thinking, so it’s sad to say goodbye,” says McPherson.
The seasonal sgroppino uses sorbet made in McPherson's Señor Scoop ice cream factory
“Even when venues are working well, you never know what’s around the corner. It has been a harsh reminder of the tough economic environment in which we operate as hospitality businesses.”
Reflecting on being recognised with the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender title – the only peer-voted award in The World’s 50 Best Bars programme – McPherson is typically generous in crediting others.
“It’s a true honour to be nominated by the people that I look up to and admire daily. Awards, especially ones like this, are never truly an individual effort. This is an accolade that reflects the creative, collaborative, driven and passionate team around me, who continuously inspire me. Together we have pushed boundaries so we can share the magic with everyone,” he says..jpg)
McPherson wants to keep inventing and pioneering new ways to create drinks
“Keeping current after 10-plus years is a challenge, but seeing other bars adopting switching and our other techniques has brought us a fresh perspective. We have an ethos of constantly making small but impactful changes, which we find keeps staff and customers curious.”
As to what the future holds, McPherson is simply thankful for the continued opportunity to showcase Scotland’s cocktail scene to the world. “Life inside the panda suit gets pretty warm in some countries but, at the same time, it’s nice to be in demand and I’m thankful for the platform I have to spread the word of what we’re achieving here in bonnie wee Scotland.”
“I guess things might slow down at some point in terms of the globetrotting. I’d like to spend more time with loved ones and with my cocktail laboratory, the Brain Melting Society, developing new drinks and techniques,” he adds.
Alongside the trademark humour, there’s a steely commitment to sparking creativity and innovation in every venture and endeavour McPherson undertakes. In the meantime, he is planning on toasting success with his peers: “I look forward to celebrating with the amazing bartending community that will be in Madrid for The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024. No panda, no party, if you ask me. Slàinte!”
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