The award-winning bartender keeping Scotland’s innovative spirit strong

Having this week been awarded the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender from the organisation behind The World’s 50  Bars, he told The Herald: “Scottish people have a sort of mindset that helps them to think outside the box.

“Throughout history, the country has been home to inventors like Alexander Graham Bell, and although what we’re doing is in no way on the same level as them, I think it’s in our DNA to do things a little differently.”

Pictured: McPherson and the Panda & Sons team (Image: Supplied)

McPherson first opened the speakeasy-style doors to Panda & Sons on Queen Street in 2013, following a formative stint in the city’s famous Voodoo Rooms.

Identifying a gap in the market for speciality drinks which went far beyond the cookie-cutter cocktail menus on offer at the time, he and his team set about curating a theatrical flair and off-the-wall methods.

“It wasn’t an immediate success,” he said of the venture, “but after a few months we started to get a bit of local press coverage which really helped.”

“Things started to go quite well for us after that, and this November we’ll have been open for 11 years.

“We’re still in essence a speakeasy bar, but I think we’ve shifted towards being known for innovation.”

(Image: Supplied)

The life of a bartender of such calibre, our conversation reveals, can take you all over the globe from Tokyo to Kazakhstan, or Spain, where he has called from during a half-hour break amid yet another international event.

However, McPherson credits one trip in particular for helping him to develop a signature technique.

“I actually studied at a Gelato University in Bologna, Italy,” he said.

“I went in a little naïve thinking I could just get straight into making ice cream, but there’s a science behind it.

“With a bartender’s brain, I soon realized there was a lot we could experiment with freezing for cocktails.

“That was my first introduction to an interest in the technique and it’s just sort of spiralled from there.”

After five years’ worth of efforts to “expand the flavour spectrum through sub-zero experimentation”, these new skills would lead to one of the most celebrated cocktail menus at Panda & Sons.

Dubbed ‘Transcend’ this groundbreaking drinks list was described as “a seminal piece of work, bringing previously unknown cocktail-making techniques into the bartending repertoire”.

The World’s 50 Best Cocktail Bar list said last year: “In his off-site lab, McPherson’s experiments on flavour creation to harness the effects of sub-zero temperatures.

“Take in as much of the science as you like, but either way you’ll love the Coconut Daiquiri, which has seen the water removed from rum and replaced with roasted coconut water.

“Ingenious and delicious, that’s Panda & Sons to a tee.”

Aside from his work at Panda & Sons, over the years McPherson also established the Fairground-themed Hoot the Redeemer (supposedly inspired by a particularly whacky lucid dream of his) and the critically acclaimed Nauticus on Duke Street.

Panda & Sons – Seasonal Sgroppino (Image: AwAyeMedia)

In doing so, he has become an integral player in Scotland’s bartending scene, and acknowledges that a sense of community and shared passion has helped him to achieve his goals.

“Scottish hospitality is so unique,” he said.

“You can go anywhere and find a bartender who is so well drilled that it comes across as robotic, whereas Scottish people genuinely give you a sense of love and warmth that makes you feel right at home.

“Then there are these great spirits and beers that we make which people enjoy across the world.

“I’m always very proud to talk about our products no matter where I am in the world and a small city like Edinburgh being recognised for leading the game is amazing.

“As much as the Bartender’s Bartender Award might seem like an individual achievement, it is also massively because of our team at Panda & Sons.

“It’s amazing to be able to shine a bit of light on Edinburgh and Scotland.”

(Image: Supplied)

Following McPherson’s win, Emma Sleight, head of content for The World’s 50 Best Bars, said: “We are delighted to unveil Iain McPherson as the winner of this year’s Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award.

“He is renowned for his contribution to cocktail excellence and innovation, and his commitment to education within the industry (as well as his signature panda accessories).

“His sincere advocacy for Edinburgh’s hospitality industry demonstrates the most important attributes of a true Bartenders’ Bartender.”

Carlos Andrés Ramirez, global advocacy & PR manager for competition sponsors Altos Tequila, added: “We want to congratulate our friend Iain McPherson from Panda and Sons in Edinburgh on winning the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award as part of The Worlds 50 Best Bars 2024.

“We are so happy to see this recognition of one of our favourite bartenders in Scotland.”

Panda & Sons is located at 79 Queen Street in Edinburgh.

For more information, visit pandaandsons.com