Not sure what to get the bartender in your life? Here are five gift ideas for different kind of bartenders: the traveling bartender, the experimental bartender, the sober-curious bartender, the art appreciating bartender, and the bookworm bartender.

(We won’t tell if you get them for yourself.)

Of course, first on our list is The Cocktail Balance 2.0 by Stanislav Harciník. Fresh from the press in Slovakia, our new book is the perfect gift for all types of bartenders who want to learn more, improve, and have a pretty book to boot.

The Travelling Bartender

Maybe it’s pop-ups, maybe guest shifts, or mixing drinks for friends at a cosy holiday cabin, but making carbonated drinks away from the bar has been tricky to do until now. This travel-sized mini carbonation rig makes serving bubbles a breeze due to its convenient small size which the travelling bartender can pack up and take with them most anywhere. The pressure is still adjustable, so they can add bubbles to any kind of drink, whether sparkling sodas for the kids or elegant cocktails for the adults.

We highly recommend buying the travel mini carbonation rig together with The Cocktail Balance or The Cocktail Balance 2.0, which includes theoretical knowledge and practical how-to about carbonation. We also offer a masterclass on carbonation, so they can get the best use out of their equipment!

PS. not just for travelling, the mini carbonation rig is also perfect if a bar or home bar is short on space.

The Experimental Bartender

The experimental bartender is ready to push boundaries, try new ideas, and experiment. The ideal gift for them? Töufood products. Töufood makes products that gastronomy experimenters to put techniques of modern cuisine into practice. Innovative recipes can be easily realised, bringing excitement and surprise to drinks, offering a stimulating and memorable beverage experience.

If you aren’t sure which product to choose, a great place to start is with a package of enzymes. There are other great products too, like gelifiers, acids, koji, and more. Another fun package is the spherical set, with everything needed to make liquid spheres. You can read about the different types of Töufood products The Cocktail Balance shop carries in our introductory article on them.

The use of all these products is explained in The Cocktail Balance 2.0, as well as recipes using all types of products, so don’t forget to add the book to the gift package too!

The Sober-curious Bartender

Maybe this bartender has been hitting the parties pretty hard lalely and decided they need a break, or maybe some health condition requires holding off the alcohol. Or, maybe not themselves but someone else in their life needs to take a break - or even just drive.

At any rate, we all sometimes want to sip on a great drink without alcohol, and in that case Nochino comes to the rescue. Many of the non-alcoholic mixing options out there are less than stellar, tasting of nothing more than caramel and artificial flavours.

Nochino is a small Slovak company that is taking alcohol free mixers to the next level. Their flagship product, Nochino Ruby apéritif, is a masterful blend of 21 botanicals and spices, creating a delicious product with no artificial colors, flavors, chemicals, or alcohol. It has been raking in the awards, including a gold level from World Drink Awards and a double gold from the International Spirits Challenge this year.

Nochino Ruby is a little bitter, a little sweet, and a little spicy, hitting all the right taste buds. Do your bartender a favour and order a case, not just one bottle.

We also have our own Balance Herbal Cordial, which is both sweet and sour, with herbal notes, a fruity aftertaste, and minty aromas. Basically, it tastes like heaven. As well, Nochino Botanic is distilled from 15 herbs and spices, with a spicy cinnamon aftertaste, as a zero alcohol gin alternative.

The Art Appreciating Bartender

Not only do bartenders like something delicious to taste, they also like something pleasing to look at - and we have just the thing. Deluxe art prints from the gorgeous The Cocktail Balance 2.0 are now available. The photos by the book’s photographer, Adrián Chrzan, are set against a dark background with stunning lighting. He captures striking details in a simple but luxurious setting. Prints from the first book, also stunningly beautiful, are still available.

Whether to hang in a bar, in a home, or as a house-warming present, the Fine Art prints are timeless, adding a little class wherever hung.

The Bookworm Bartender

As a bartender, there is always something more to learn, whether about hospitality, gastronomy, or business, besides actually making drinks. We have a whole roster of relevant books in our shop which Stan curated, but these three cover the most important areas.

Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara guides readers in transforming ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences. A must for anybody who works in hospitality, not just bartenders.

Roundbuilding by Daniel Waddy & Kevin Armstrong. It’s that time of evening when the bar fills up all at once and everybody wants their drink at the same time - one minute ago was too late already. But fear not - this setting for stress has a solution: roundbuilding. Roundbuilding is the art of mindfully “juggling” all the moving parts, building multiple drinks in a methodical manner for high quality sips every time. No stress.

The Cocktail Balance 2.0 by Stanislav Harcník - you’ll forgive us if it’s our favourite book here at The Cocktail Balance. Full of knowledge, beauty, luxury, and recipes for delicious cocktails, it’s the advanced guide for the modern bartender.