To make coffee that will thrill the senses, add a dash of experience, put in oodles of practice, and blend that with a keen understanding of changing consumer tastes. All these ingredients in the right proportion will make a coffee connoisseur doff his hat to the creator and say, “That’s what I call a great cup of coffee.”
Tihomir Gergov is used to being commended for his exotic cocktails, lip-smacking smoothies and coffee, but the journey from a wide-eyed rookie at a Bulgarian pub to an expert bartender has taken 16 years. The 32 year old is Monin’s Middle East brand ambassador and has travelled extensively in the region, adding value to leading hotel chains and experimenting with exciting new recipes that have added that extra zing to the existing repertoire.
 Monin originated in Bourges, France, in 1912 and is today the largest producer of premiumflavours for beverage and culinary applications enjoyed in over 85 countries around the world.
Bartechco, the sole distributors of Monin in Oman, recently organised a demonstration for a select group of F&B managers, during which TheWeek watched Tihomir in action conjuring up gingerbread latte, banana caramel mocha, peachy sunset and mellow man.
Sourit Sen, director of Bartechco, explained the idea behind the demonstration. “Some of the bigger players have well-developed trainingprogrammes for their F&B personnel, but independent operators cannot afford such a luxury. That’sthe reason we decided to bring Tihomir here to share some tips with aspiring bartenders. He is in touch with the latest trends in bartending. This interactive session should that edge,” Sourit added.
As he went about the motions, Tihomir took great pains to explain every nuance of his art. He seemed to enjoy the interaction with local professionals who had their own ideas on how to raise the bar in arriving at the perfect beverage, and appeared unflustered by the flurry of questions that came in thick and fast.
“I have my own formula for success, but I am not suggesting that mine is the best way of doing things. Each bartender has his own unique style and that’s what makes the whole thing so exciting,” Tihomir explained.  Tihomir has a flair for presentation that made the participants sit up and take notice. There was an opportunity to taste each beverage and in most cases the visual appeal reflected in the taste. “A great looking drink needs to be a great tasting one.It should appeal to all the senses in order to make a mark with the customers,” declared Tihomir.
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