Becherovka: An Aperitif With Style

If you ever find yourself sitting in a bar in the Czech Republic fresh out of ideas about what drink or cocktail to order, you might just want to do yourself a favor and try a shot of Becherovka, the country’s national liquor and one of the most famous Eastern-European aperitifs in existence.

Becherovka has been a staple for many drinkers for over 200 years, having being first sold in 1807 under the name “Karlsbader Becherbitter” after the creator of the liquor, Josef Becher. Originally, it was offered as an aid to digestion and an herbal medicine. In fact, it is still possible to find bottles of Becherovka at a Czech liquor store with the old-fashioned medicinal dosing cup attached to the top of it. As its popularity grew, so did its reputation as a unique, extremely enjoyable, and relatively cheap imbibe. Not many people know about it outside of the Czech Republic or Eastern Europe but it has left a lasting impression on me and I’m sure that many people who have sampled it have found it to be peculiarly robust and pleasing to the eye as well as the tongue.

Becherovka is light green in color and fairly strong-smelling. There’s no hiding the wide variety of pungent herbs and spices that go into each bottle. Its taste is akin to a more mature, heartier, and far less candy-like Jaegermeister. I would say the flavor is far more complex and earthy than any beverage that is commonly abused by frat boys and regular drinkers alike in this country. Anywhere drinking and partying are combined in Eastern Europe, Becherovka is likely to be present. The recipe is a mix of anise seed, cinnamon, and over 30 other herbs, and creates a real feast for your taste buds.

The typical way to serve Becherovka is cold and neat or with tonic. There are literally hundreds of cocktails that would benefit from this alcohol’s herb-infused, stout, and strong flavor. I prefer Becherovka instead of Jaeger in all of the concoctions requiring the latter. Once you taste it, it’s tough to go back to such a sugary substitute. Another reason to choose the revered Czech beverage over Jaegermeister is that Becherovka is 38% alcohol by volume as compared to Jaeger’s 30%. Not that an additional 8% is really going to make a huge difference, but when tasted side by side in a cocktail, the Becherovka delivers a considerably larger and more potent kick along with it’s unique and very harmonic herbal flavor and strong, full-bodied aftertaste.

Sadly I have not been able to find Becherovka available for sale outside of the European continent. In the US it is available by internet mail order only and runs about $25 USD per bottle plus shipping. This is pretty expensive considering a bottle of the same liquid would cost about $7-$10 USD if you purchased it in its native country. Every bar, café, restaurant, and watering hole in Prague carries the green liquor due to its nationally-recognized ability to bring alcohol lovers together over a cold glass of a veritable Czech super drink. A bottle or to of Becherovka would amount to another very nice and very unique addition to any bitters connoisseur’s liquor stash.