The Perfect Mix by MONIN 02:50, 06/12/2019

It was all hands on deck on Thursday 21st - with the whole MONIN team rolling up their sleeves before the guests rolled up, chopping strawberries, juicing limes and getting the coffee beans ground to start the morning off on the right note. 

At 10 there was a live demonstration from Ms. Hoang Thao -  champion of Vietnam’s 2019 National Latte Art Championship, and winner of multiple competitions all over the country since 2017.

She’s been fine tuning her barista skills for the last seven years, and honing her specialty of eye catching latte art for the last three. She didn’t seem fazed by having to pull off her complex designs in front of an audience, talking us through each stage of the process, from the magic act of creating the perfect milk for your pour, the handiwork that goes into transforming it into designs almost too beautiful to drink, and the key MONIN flavours to create a more memorable menu. 

Next up superstar barista Tran Han gave us a rundown of the trends and blends that will dominate the cold brew scene in 2020. She’s been a trailblazer in the Vietnamese coffee industry for the last four years, currently works as a barista at HCMC’s acclaimed Bosgaurus artisan roasters. As well as her two consecutive wins at the National Barista Championship, Han represented Vietnam at the World Barista Championship in 2016 and 2017.

The culinary team from the Intercontinental showed us that Monin isn’t just for those of us with a sweet tooth, with a delicious array of Pan-Asian canapés that used Monin fruit mixes and syrups to balance savoury miso sauces and to add citrus notes to buttery pan fried scallops. 

Unlike the recipes we’d been trying all morning, Nam Trung and Phuc Hung wowed us with something that really shouldn’t be tried at home - fire flaring, with both Nam and Phuc juggling up to five flaming bottles at a time whilst balancing another on their forehead. Luckily this was one activity that didn’t require audience participation…

Our desserts for the day were led by Ha from Monin’s innovation team in Hanoi, who came down especially to showcase how Monin’s frappe powders and sauces can give a classic cup of soft serve ice cream a makeover. Guests were also treated to Dallas cakes’ instagrammable eye popping treats, infused with Monin macaroon syrup and topped with the real things. 

Meanwhile at the bar station, Nguyen Duong, 2017’s La Maison Cointreau Vietnam Champion, was using Estrella beer to talk us through the drink taking the country by storm - the upside down beer cocktail. Flipping a glass bottle of beer inside a cocktail has long been popular in other countries, and now it’s arrived here in a big way - with Nguyen using a staple in Vietnamese soft drinks - peach slices, for a lighter, fruity take on a classic mojito. 

Le Thanh Tung – Beam Suntory’s Ambassador, and crowned Vietnam’s Best Bartender at the 2014 World Class competition in Singapore. He showed how he earned his mixology stripes with a selection of cocktails focused on herb- and fruit-forward Monin flavours combined with craft gin.  

When sundown arrived we left the Intercontinental ballroom full of unforgettable food and fantastic ideas, and maybe just a touch tipsy….the perfect mix.