Panda&Sons
Panda & Sons was opened in 2013 by award-winning bartender Iain McPherson (Panda) and his family. The foundation the bar was built on was to create a place where all ages and all people would feel welcome and always treated to the best Scottish hospitality.
Innovation is at the heart of each drink, with a focus on exploring and pioneering the largely unknown world of sub-zero flavour techniques. The phrase 'the moon is more explored than the sea', is how we see cooking techniques, compared to freezing techniques. The first technique Iain and the Panda team created was “Switching”, which uses the process of freeze concentration to switch out water from spirits or any liquid, for another flavoured liquid. They have since gone on to create many more techniques, such as Sous Pression, utilizing the power of freeze expansion, 30 year old citrus, freeze puffing and many more.
Panda & Sons’ latest menu Transcend was a Top 4 finalist for “World’s Best Cocktail Menu” at this years Spirited Awards at Tales of The Cocktail.
Most recently Iain won Innovator of the year, at this year’s CLASS awards.
The bartender
IAIN MCPHERSON
In 2013 Iain opened the world-famous Panda & Sons. A couple of years later saw him open the eccentric and playful Hoot The Redeemer to much acclaim.
He obtained his “Science of Ice Cream” degree at the University of Reading. Furthering his expertise, by attending the “Gelato University” in Bologna, Italy. Which led to him creating the brand “Señor Scoop”, which is his liquor infused ice cream company in 2015. Basically, he’s an overqualified ice cream lover!
In 2017 he joined forces with Joe Russo, who is one half of the ‘Russo Brothers’ (Directors of Avengers: Infinity War and End Game) in opening a cocktail bar in the Arts District of Los Angeles.
2018 saw him team up with another Scottish bartending stalwart, Kyle Jamieson, in opening Nauticus, which is all about championing Scottish produce and recently won pub of the year in the UK.
Iain has always been obsessed with sub-zero temperatures from a young age and created the cocktail technique called “Switching” back in 2018. This technique isolates the water in alcohol and switches it with another liquid. It was the first bar dedicated technique in our industry for over a decade.
Iain has continued pioneering more freezing techniques. This year he made another breakthrough and created the technique ‘Sous Pression’ which is the freezing alternative reality to ‘Sous Vide’. He believes we should be doing more to identify sub-zero temperatures, as an alternative or addition to cooking techniques within the bar industry. Their innovative menu “Transcend”, was a Top 4 finalist for Worlds Best Cocktail menu at this years Spirited Awards at Tales of The Cocktail.
Iain has also been ever present in the “Bar World 100” list, since its inception, which is the top 100 most influential people in the Global drinks industry list. He most recently won the prestigious “Innovator of The Year” at this year’s CLASS Bar Awards. Iain has the double, as he also won Innovator of The Year, at the 2023 CLASS Bar Awards.
