Officially launched and sold out the day after
A champagne book baptism, exhibitions, and guest shifts by internationally-acclaimed Slovak bartenders made the launch of The Cocktail Balance 2.0 a night to remember.
The Cocktail Balance 2.0, the second book by Stanislav Harciník, was officially launched into the world on January 30, 2025. With 11 globally successful Slovak bartenders featured in the book travelling to the event at Mirror Bar of the Carlton Hotel in Bratislava, it was also a rare opportunity for so many to gather together to celebrate the country’s bartending legacy.
Launching in style
In Slovakia, new books are launched with a “book baptism.” The Cocktail Balance 2.0 was baptised with a generous pour of champagne by Peter Marcina, bar manager of Mirror Bar, as “godfather” of the book. The invitation-only segment also included a presentation of the book and the team behind it.
The evening continued with hour-long guest shifts by the legacy of featured bartenders. Their energy and enthusiasm were contagious as they took turns behind the bar.
Each chose a drink to share, such as the Hokkaido Fashioned by Stanislav Kaiholmomãlie Vadrna, Nikka Brand Global Hospitality Advocate, or the Osmopolitan by Adrián Michalčík, based in Oslo, Norway. Tibor Krascsenics, based in Dubai, shared his love of tomato-based drinks with the Tomatini, an apron celebrating tomatoes, and a huge meter-plus long pepper grinder. A selection of drinks from the recipes in The Cocktail Balance 2.0 were also available.
An exhibition of the photography in the book was also on display around the venue, as well as the bespoke glasses used in the photography. Many books were embellished with signatures from the author, photographer, and featured bartenders.
Warm response
Featured bartender Marika Debnárová was impressed. “The launch of The Cocktail Balance book was a beautiful showcase of how one person, driven by the desire to leave something for the next generation, can build a team of people who support this idea! Creativity, ambition, and education—I’m impressed and highly supportive, and I’m happy that Slovakia has such an incredible team of people who care about hospitality and are able to create a warm and professional event and deliver it successfully.”
Stanislav Harciník was honoured so many came to celebrate the book. “What a night full of unforgettable moments! There are no words to describe how grateful I am. Massive Thank You to all the Legends of Slovak bartending, to the Greatest Teams of The Cocktail Balance and Mirror Bar, to my business partners and colleagues, my friends, our guests, and last but not least to my family.”
First edition of 2.0 already sold out
The day after the event, the first printing of the book sold out, a testimony to its value. Dan Nevil, aka Cocktail Man and founder of Indie Bartender, called the book “an engineer’s guide to the cocktail galaxy” and the book he “thought the bar industry was missing all these years”. A second edition of the book will be printed in April, and is available for pre-order on The Cocktail Balance eshop.
About the book
The Cocktail Balance 2.0 is an advanced guide for modern bartenders. The handbook for bartenders is divided into three sections—theoretical, practical, and inspirational—covering all aspects of the profession over 290 pages. Accompanied by stunning photography, the hefty tome delves into topics ranging from art to science, from cocktail craft to hospitality. It highlights 15 base ingredients and employs advanced techniques to create 45 component recipes plus 30 cocktail recipes.
