The amazing science behind Panda and Mora Cocktails

The world of mixology is like a mad scientist’s lab as bartenders experiment with different ways to improve the taste of cocktails. The owner of Panda and Sons, Iain McPherson and his team spend their time in the downstairs lab called the Brain Melting Society, experimenting with different ice techniques to improve the flavors and textures of cocktails.

Since opening its doors in 2013, Panda and Sons has been making quite a splash, including reaching 30th place in the 2024 awards for the World’s 50 Best Bars. And it was an even more special year when McPherson was awarded Altos Bartender of the Year.

“Winning Altos Bartender’s Bartender of The Year meant a lot to me, as it was a true testament to how amazing the team at Panda & Sons is,” said McPherson. “It is also chosen by my peers to tell the world. In short, they are what make me look good. As much as it’s an “individual” award, for me it’s a team award. Thank you to everyone who voted for us.

The bar has become world famous with the release of its latest cocktail menu, Transcend, last year. Created by McPherson, customer manager Nicky Craig, and the Panda staff after five years of experimenting in the laboratory, the menu consists of 16 cocktails. It is divided into four chapters- Switching, Sous Pressure, Freeze Drying, and Cryo-Concentration- which highlights and examines different subzero freezing methods that have been developed or developed in the laboratory.

The modification, developed by McPherson, is the process of extracting water from the air and “modifying” it for another flavor. This trend came about in 2019 when McPherson was playing with Eisbock, where the concentration of ice was removed, leaving the beer stronger, McPherson had a kind of light time. Realizing that he needed to learn more about the science of freezing, McPherson enrolled in Ice Cream Science courses at the University of Reading and then Bologna’s Carpigiani Gelato University to further his education to help perfect the process. .

“I just like to practice the techniques so I can better understand how they work and how they affect the flavor,” McPherson said. “I noticed that the frozen part, which was a lot of water, was bringing out certain flavors and other flavors that were left in the beer were coming out, etc., so I Note that I can use this method to extract or enhance flavors and control the amount of water in the liquid.”

Next, there is Sous Pressure which is an alternative to sous vide that uses a lower temperature for better infusion. Then there is freeze drying, another sub-sphere to reduce water content where the dried product can be rehydrated while retaining all of its flavor. The last method is Cryo-concentration, a method in which frozen water is extracted; therefore, focusing on flavors, acids, salts and sugars.

These techniques have received high praise within the bar community and there is a step-by-step video tutorial to guide bartenders as they try these techniques on their site. McPherson travels the world doing bar takeovers and speaking engagements to spread the gospel about his brain imaging techniques.

“It was humbling to see them adopted so quickly,” said McPherson. “These are the four main methods, but we are always researching and developing new ones. We think the menu deserves a second year, but we will change some drinks such as adding an ice cream angle to one of the chapters. We want to keep it up for another 12 months so people can see the list. ”