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Becherovka is a traditional herbal liqueur from the Czech Republic. Made exclusively from natural ingredients and based on the famous Karlovy Vary water, it has been delighting fans around the world for more than 200 years.
The drink has a unique rich taste and aroma, filled with a bouquet of 32 types of herbs and spices, a frequent guest of many cocktails.
Becherovka cocktail recipes
What you need to know about Becherovka
Becherovka really heals
A proven fact, however, one should not be zealous in drinking a drink, hiding behind treatment.
Becherovka tonic is a delicious gin and tonic
Shake it up thinks so, but if you haven’t tried it yet, it’s time to think, just don’t forget to add ice.
Special drinking utensils
Few people know, but there is a special porcelain cup for drinking Becherovka.
Calorie Becherovka
It is 248 kcal per 100 milliliters of drink.
How many degrees in Becherovka
From 20 to 40%, see below for details.
Everyone can visit the Becherovka Museum
The Jan Becher Museum, which is located in Karlovy Vary, attracts thousands of Becherovka lovers every year.
The exposition is located in the historical building of the plant.
During the tour, visitors will see a short film about Becherovka, old liquor aging cellars, various historical items related to liquor and some production facilities. The museum also has a bar and gift shop.
The history of Becherovka
1805 Dr. Frobrig reveals the recipe for an unusual healing drink to Jan Becher.
1807 Using Dr. Frobrig’s modified recipe, Jan Becher launches “English Bitter” for the treatment of stomach ailments.
The medicine was so liked by the townsfolk that it led to some excitement in Jan’s small shop.
1834 The family of the founder expands the export of Becherovka, at that time the drink was sold in Szczecin, and a year later – in Vienna and Munich, and in 1838 the liquor appeared in Paris.
1866 A classic bottle design has been developed.
1867 Jan Becher moved to the new factory in Steinberki.
1871 Gustav Becher took over the family business (1840-1921) and ran it successfully for several decades until he sold his share to his half-brothers Rudolf and Michael.
1900 Becherovka was awarded great recognition, in addition to receiving the title of supplier of the imperial and royal court, the drink received honorary titles and medals at world exhibitions, including the Grand Prix in Paris
1904 As Becherovka’s popularity skyrocketed, the illegal activity of its competitors also increased. The fight against plagiarism began in 1904 when Jan Rudolf Becher filed a lawsuit against those who tried to steal their ideas.
Even though they won, the battle had only just begun. Attempts to copy the labels, name and recipe of the liquor continued to become more common.
Fortunately for Becherovka today plagiarism can be prevented by modern methods of protection.
1907 Celebrating the 100th anniversary of Becherovka and developing a unique dark green bottle color.
1910 The management of the company passed to two brothers, Michael and Rudolf, Gustav’s half-brothers, who had been passive partners since 1889. Together they expanded the Steinberki factory and focused on new markets.
Michael started selling bottles of Becherovka that you can take with you on the road, while Rudolf focused mainly on export.
1917 Shortly before his death, Michael Becher divided his share of the company between his son Alfred and son-in-law Hans Klapka.
Alfred (1883-1940) modernized the company and production, built a plant in Dresden and expanded the range of Becherovka products.
However, he was wounded during World War I and died during World War II. After his death, Hedda’s daughter took over the management of the company.
1922 The names “Becherovka” in the Czech and German versions, “Becher Bitter” have been registered as a trademark.
Prior to this, Becherovka was sold as “English Bitter”, “Karlsbader Bitter”, “Karlsbader Becherbitter”, “Johann Becher”, etc.
1934 After the abolition of the dry ban, Becherovka conquered the United States.
1938 Start of sales of Becherovka in England.
1941 The woman at the head of the company.
The only woman and the last member of the Becher family who knew the cherished secret recipe for Becherovka was Hedda Becher (1914-2007).
Before taking up her post at the end of the war, she was forced to reveal a secret family recipe by order of the communist regime: an original recipe handwritten by Frobrig himself.
Despite this, Hedda began to develop an “identical” liquor in West Germany. Thus, a product was born that, according to experts, is completely identical to the original recipe created in Karlovy Vary.
1972 Hedda Becher sells the company to a corporation called Anderberg, with whom she has agreed to share Becherovka from Karlovy Vary on the Western European market.
This happened when blue and red export labels appeared. Despite rumors, the liquor was identical in all bottles.
2001 After the war, when the Becher family was evicted and the company was nationalized, the state owned it for 57 years. The privatization of the company began in 1997, but was successfully completed only in 2001.
The current owner of the company (almost 100% of the shares) is the French company Pernod Ricard.
2003 Along with some marketing changes, the look of the brand has been changed. English designer Martin Blunt, who was in charge of the changes, carefully crafted a new take on key moments in the brand’s history.
Martin Blunt added soul to the historic design: the classic blue and yellow combination on the original green glass, but with a new silver element and a symbolic red seal: Jan Becher’s signature.
2010 New factory in the Karlovy Vary region in Bochatice.
2019 – today: Becherovka was exported to more than 40 countries, including the USA.
Types of Becherovka
Becherovka Original
Liquor has a sunny, golden, pure color.
The taste of the drink is rich, sweet and at the same time bitter-tart taste.
It has a rich herbal aroma.
Strength: 38%
Becherovka Lemond
Liquor light straw color with light golden highlights.
It has a refreshing, light, clean taste with bright citrus hues, which are set off by notes of various herbs and menthol.
The aroma is fresh, elegant, with characteristic lemon tones, which are harmoniously complemented by herbal and menthol nuances.
Strength: 20%
Becherovka Cordial
A dark caramel-colored liqueur made from white wine and lime blossom extract.
It has an invigorating, tart taste filled with herbal and floral nuances.
The drink has a bright aroma with hints of herbs and subtle nuances of lime blossom.
Strength: 35%
Becherovka KV 14
A strong burgundy-red liqueur based on red wine.
It has a warming, tart taste and a bright aroma with hints of herbs, flowers and fruits.
Strength: 40%
How to drink Becherovka
Becherovka in its purest form
Since Becherovka was conceived as a self-sufficient digestif, it is preferable to use it in its pure form after a hearty dinner or at bedtime.
The drink is served in small glasses, chilled to a temperature of 5-7°C. This method of serving somewhat weakens the aroma of the liquor, but ennobles its taste.
The only acceptable snack in this case is a circle of orange, lightly sprinkled with cinnamon.
Becherovka in tea and coffee
For medicinal purposes only, a couple of tablespoons of classic Becherovka can be added to tea or coffee. Perhaps the taste of liquor will be almost imperceptible, but cheerfulness, increased resistance to colds and excellent digestion will be provided to you.
Becherovka with beer
The closest neighbors of the Czechs – the Slovaks – invented their own method of drinking Becherovka.
40-50 ml of a chilled drink are drunk in one gulp, after which a mug of light beer is used.
The imposition of hops and malt on the herbal base of the liquor allows you to get an incomparable taste effect, associated, however, with a rather strong intoxication.
Becherovka in cocktails
The traditional liqueur pairs very well with some juices. First of all, we are talking about currant, apple and cherry.
If we talk about KV 14, then orange juice goes well with it.
All cocktail recipes here.
How to distinguish a fake Becherovka
The recommendations below apply only to the original version of the drink, new items may not contain some elements.
On the front side of the original bottle of Becherovka, above the label, there is an embossed logo and the year the drink was created – 1807.
Under the label there should be a relief engraving of the name of the creator of this liqueur – “Jan Becher”
On the reverse side of a real bottle of Becherovka, under the counter-label, there are embossed inscriptions “Jan Becher”, “Karlovy Vary”, “Czech Republic”.
In addition, rectangular embossed lines are located along the entire plane of the bottle, which give the bottle a special pattern.
The lid of this liqueur is blue with a red company logo on top.
The mouth of the bottle is covered with a blue “shirt”, on which there are also images of the logo, as well as the name of the creator – “Jan Becher”
The label of the original Becherovka, as well as its counter-label, have a non-traditional shape, the upper and lower bands encircle the entire bottle and pass through special relief recesses.
Mandatory presence of an excise stamp, with the exception of liquor bought in a Duty Free store.
Relevance: 20.05.2019
Tags: Liqueurs, Pourings, Liqueurs, Brands of liqueurs