The Cocktail Balance 2.0 ready for preorder
Stanislav Harcinik’s new book The Cocktail Balance 2.0, a direct sequel to his popular first book, is set to come out at the end of September this year. Preorders are now available on The Cocktail Balance website. Harcinik, equipped with experience and driven to share his knowledge, has set out again to delve into topics related to the profession of bartending which were only touched on in the first book, as well as to include new developments.
About the book
The Cocktail Balance 2.0 is for bartenders with experience—or beginners willing to jump in the deep end. It is a peek into Harcinik’s own notebook of accumulated knowledge, complete with side notes and reminders. Now he is sharing it with you, fulfilling the last directive of his motto "Learn - Grow - Pass it on", with nothing held back.
Following the same format as the prior book, The Cocktail Balance 2.0 is divided into three sections—theoretical, practical, and inspirational—but now gets into the details. For example, in the theoretical part Harcinik shares excel sheets with margins, cocktail costs, inventory, and (most importantly) profit, plus the calculations to figure out all the economics behind a drink. On the other side of the spectrum, he goes even deeper into processes and tools to elevate the creative process for a bartender.
The practical part examines mixology techniques and technologies. Previously, the same section was suitable as an introduction for students, but now Harcinik shares more extensive, detailed, and complex information based upon his years of experience, like carbonation and clarification. Also, some processes have only recently begun to be used widely; enzymes were once only used in manufacturing but are now available for use in a bar.
The 15 ingredients (plus one bonus!) for the recipe and cocktail part are all new to this book. Harcinik draws upon a few plants that are able to be foraged on multiple continents, e.g. stinging nettle and pine tree, as well as highlighting known but not widely used ingredients, such as gooseberries and black rice. With a sustainable bar in mind, each ingredient has three accompanying cocktail component or garnish recipes to utilise as much of the ingredient as possible, reducing waste and increasing efficiency. For example, the flesh, seeds, and seed oil of pumpkin each has its own recipe. Recipes include more involved processes such as lactoferments, complex infusions, and enzyme use in order to make the best cocktails possible. Two cocktail recipes are given for each ingredient, a twisted classic and one of Harcinik’s signature cocktails. That means that for 15 ingredient highlights, there are 45 component recipes and 30 cocktail recipes.
The Legacy of Slovak Bartending focuses on Slovaks who have made their mark around the world. Stanislav Vadrna, Martin Siska, Rastislav Kasar, and Marika Debnarova are just a few of the personalities who share their message or philosophy for all to be inspired. Finally, as in the previous book, the Notes includes foundational recipes, manuals and detailed descriptions to supplement the more complex processes in the main part of the book. Essential recipes from the first book are also included.
Giving back
Harcinik says, “With the first book my goal was to make bartending accessible to everyone. With The Cocktail Balance 2.0, I really get into the art and science of bartending. I’m always pushing myself to learn and grow, but most importantly to share so that everyone around me can learn and grow too. I’m really looking forward to how 2.0 can contribute to the bartending community, and to see how others can build upon it, achieving more together than what I ever could on my own.”
The Cocktail Balance 2.0 is ready to preorder on The Cocktail Balance website, available in English as a beautiful hardcover book. Additionally, it will be published as an ebook in the Slovak language and distributed for free in order to elevate and push forward the bartending craft in Slovakia as a result of Stan’s philosophy of giving back to the local bar community.
About the author
Stanislav Harcinik is driven by a passion to share what he has learned with others, resulting in his books and The Cocktail Balance platform. From barback, Harcinik quickly became head bartender at a number of establishments due to his attention to detail, work ethic, and drive to innovate. His journey led to Mirror Cocktail Bar in the Carlton Hotel where he was head bartender and simultaneously also Content Director of Slovakia's best-printed media bartender magazine Bar Magazine-Thinking and Drinking. Harcinik later on became Global Ambassador of Mirror Bar, and is one of the team responsible for the bar being ranked as the 90th best bar in the world by The World’s 50 Best Bars in 2023, as well as being nominated for Regional Top 10 Honorees for two Spirited Awards in 2024.
