Becherovka

What is Becherovka? Becherovka is a Czech herbal bitter liqueur bottled at 38% ABV (76 US proof) and produced in the spa town of Karlovy Vary since 1807. Founded by pharmacist and distiller Josef Vitus Becher, the brand is made today by the Jan Becher company and owned by the French spirits group Pernod Ricard. Pale yellow in the glass and built around a secret blend of more than twenty herbs and spices, it is classified as a digestif and bitters, with cinnamon and ginger leading its aromatic signature.

Origin and Recipe

Becherovka was created in 1807 in Karlovy Vary, then the Bohemian spa town of Carlsbad, by Josef Vitus Becher (1769 to 1840). A pharmacist by training, Becher developed the formula as a medicinal tonic to be sold to the international clientele visiting the famous thermal springs. For most of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries it was marketed under its German name, Karlsbader Becherbitter; the shorter Czech name Becherovka came into use after the Second World War, following the expulsion of the German-speaking population from the region.

The recipe remains a closely guarded secret. Production is built around more than twenty different herbs and spices, and tradition holds that only two people at any time know the complete process. Once a week the herbs are weighed and combined in a sealed room known as the Drogikamr before they pass on to maceration and blending. That tight ritual is the reason Becherovka has retained a consistent flavor for more than two centuries, even after the brand passed into the hands of Pernod Ricard.

How It Is Served

In its Czech homeland, Becherovka is treated above all as a digestif. The classic serve is straightforward: chilled, neat, in a small tulip or shot glass after a meal, where the cinnamon and ginger character helps settle the stomach and round off heavier dishes. It can also be sipped at room temperature, which softens the sweetness and brings the herbal layers forward.

The best-known mixed drink is the Beton, Czech for concrete, a simple highball of Becherovka and tonic water over ice, often finished with a slice of lemon. The cocktail gained international attention when Czechoslovakia poured it at Expo 67 in Montreal, and it remains the standard long drink for the brand. For drinkers who prefer something lighter, the house also produces Becherovka Lemond, a citrus-forward extension launched in 2008 and bottled at a gentler 20% ABV.