(Image: Supplied)
An Edinburgh cocktail bar has been named the world’s best for its drinks menu at an international awards ceremony in Milan.
Panda & Sons, based on Queen Street, won the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award at The World’s 50 Best Bars 2026 ceremony on Wednesday, October 7.
Panda & Sons. (Image: Supplied)
The award recognises the bar’s innovative Transcend menu, which uses sub-zero techniques to manipulate ingredients and create new flavour experiences.
Founded by Iain McPherson in 2013, Panda & Sons is known for its hidden entrance behind the frontage of a traditional barbershop. It has since established itself as an internationally recognised name in the drinks industry.
Iain McPherson. (Image: Supplied)
The latest accolade marks the second time this year the bar has won the prestigious menu award, having also received the honour at the inaugural Europe’s 50 Best Bars ceremony in Amsterdam in June, where it ranked 20th.
At the heart of Transcend is a range of techniques developed by McPherson, including Switching and Sous Pression, alongside freeze concentration and freeze-drying. The methods allow the team to alter water content, concentrate flavours and develop distinctive cocktails.
Panda & Sons cocktail menu. (Image: Supplied)
The original Transcend menu established the approach, withTranscend 2.0 refining the techniques further.
McPherson’s interest in freezing began with a question about whether cold, rather than heat, could be used to change the flavour of ingredients. His research has since drawn on food science, ice cream production and other disciplines beyond traditional bartending.
Panda & Sons. (Image: Supplied)
Unlike heat-based extraction, sub-zero methods can help preserve delicate flavours and aromas. McPherson shares the team’s findings with bartenders internationally through seminars, workshops and industry collaborations.
He was also named recipient of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award at The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024.
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Iain McPherson, founder of Panda & Sons, said: "To receive this award on the world stage is incredibly special, especially after all the time and experimentation that has gone into Transcend.
"We’ve spent years exploring what freezing can do to flavour, and there have been plenty of experiments along the way that haven’t worked.
"But that’s all part of the process.
"We’re incredibly proud to be a Scottish bar.
"We’ve always wanted to show that you don’t need to be in London, New York or any of the world’s traditional cocktail capitals to create something exciting and innovative.
"There’s so much talent and creativity in Scotland, and we love showcasing that to the rest of the world.
"This award belongs to our entire team, past and present.
"Transcend has been a real labour of love, and we couldn’t have achieved any of this without the people who helped bring it to life."