Becherovka

My photos from a trip to Karlovy Vary.

Becherovka (Czech pronunciation, formerly Karlsbader Becherbitter, is a herbal bitters, often drunk as a digestive aid. It is produced in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, by Jan Becher. The brand is owned by Pernod Ricardo. It is made according to a secret recipe based on more than twenty types of herbs and spices.

Becherovka is often described as the taste of ginger or cinnamon. Its alcohol content is 38% ABV (76 percent), and is usually served chilled.

The inventor of Becher Bitter was Josef Vitus Becher (1769–1840) of Karlovy Vary. Apart from trading in spices and colonial goods in his shop, "Dům U Tří skřivanů" ("House of the Three Woodlarks"), he also produced alcoholic beverages. In 1794, he rented a still-house and began to experiment with hard alcohol.

In 1805 Prince Maxmillian Friedrich von Plettenberg arrived in Karlovy Vary for his medical treatment, he was accompanied by his personal physician, Dr. Christian Frobrig from England. Frobrig with Josef Becher discussed the strength of herbs and the recipe for a new liqueur. Josef Becher tested this recipe for two years after which he started to sell this new "English Bitter" liqueur which was intended for the treatment of diseases of the stomach.

Josef married twice (his first wife died of pneumonia) and had a total of 16 children, though only five daughters and two sons outlived him. Josef's son, Johann (Jan) Nepomuk Becher, took over the still-house in 1838. He built a new factory and is considered the founder of the company. Speaking approximately, his product was sold under the name of "Becher Carlsbad Bitter Liqueur" from the thirties of the 19th century.

During the first World War, his Karlsbader Becherbitter was sold in Bohemia, Austria, Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, Turkey and Egypt. After the end of the alcohol ban in the US, the Becherbitter finally arrived in that country and four years later also to England. After World War II, Karlsbader Becherbitter became known as Becherovka following the dispossession and forceful expulsion of the German population of Karlsbad by the Czech state . Becherovka became one of the most popular export items of Czechoslovakia.

From 1998 to 2003, a Slovak version also started selling. This was manufactured by Zdeněk Hoffmann domestically Domažlice and sold in Slovak shops. He claimed that Alfred Becher had given his grandfather the recipe in 1939, with the right to manufacture the product since he had been worried that the secret of his recipe might not survive the war. However Hoffmann was unable to prove this in court, and in 2008 was sentenced for one and a half years in jail by the district court.

The Czech producer says that only two people know the secret of the entire production process and are allowed to enter the Drogikamr room - where, once a week, they mix the herbs and spices used in the drink. Some of the herbs are imported from abroad and some grow around Karlovy Vary.