Under the stewardship of Stanislav Harciník, Mirror Bar is gaining the attention of the wider industry and has now featured in back-to-back World’s 50 Best Bars extended lists.
Eschewing the pared-back minimalism of the existing cocktail mode, serves here are theatrical articles of maximalism with imaginative glassware made in collaboration with local artisans.
The menu itself is divided five ways. The categories – Classy, Highlights, Design, Sharing and Non-Alco – each referencing various facets of the bar’s ethos and the hotel’s history.
As Harciník explains: “In Classy, there are 12 twisted classic cocktails, dedicated to famous personalities who have stayed at the Radisson Blu Carlton Hotel in the past.
“Highlights features eight cocktails that define the Mirror Bar and have been featured in previous cocktail menus… and Design consists of five cocktails taking the level of cocktail presentation, using AI, to create artworks representing the idea and story of the cocktail.”
Lantern of Infinity
With this cocktail we created something protein clarified, umami and complex with a silky texture,” says Harciník. “The coagulation required for clarification is achieved with a reaction between the acidic, locally-produced goji and rosehip juice and rice milk. This amplifies the layers of flavour from red miso caramel and brown butter.
“The design of the object is a glowing lantern in a four-dimensional cube. Geometrically, it’s a four-dimensional object called a tesseract. The mirror illusion inside forms an infinite space in the small size of a lantern. Any object placed in the cube will multiply its number in a dimension of infinite reflections.”
Diplomático Seleccion de Familia, goji and rosehip clarified juice, red miso butter caramel, rice milk
Technique: Make the caramel with sugar and red miso paste into which incorporate the butter. Pour into the rum, goji and rosehip juice. Stir well and pour into the rice milk, allow to curdle and strain to clarify. Serve over a large block of clear ice.
Lux
Tanqueray No.10, passion fruit, Paragon Rue Berry, Tío Pepe, prosecco
Marble
Hennessy VSOP, cornflakes, coconut, champagne, Cointreau
Cerebro of AI
Brugal 1888, smoked maple horchata syrup, Mirror citrus bitters, oat milk
