Carlsbad's Becherovka is currently the best-selling liqueur in the segment of bitter herbal liqueurs.
As Radio Prague notes, even before the invention of the famous liqueur, the Becher family played a prominent role in the life of Carlsbad. The German Georg Becher moved to this town in Western Bohemia around the second half of the 16th century, and his son became the town miller. In the mid-17th century, the family received the right to open a pharmacy in the town, which they owned for two and a half centuries. Gradually, the Bechers became the richest and most influential family of this famous spa town, and its members held important positions – they were members of the town council and even mayors.
The Bechers in the history of Carlsbad hotels and colonnades
It was the Bechers who built the so-called Czech Hall in Carlsbad, which later turned into the famous Grandhotel Pupp. One of the most famous members of the family was the physician David Becher, who lived in the 18th century. He laid the foundations of balneology – the science that studies the origin and physicochemical properties of mineral waters, as well as methods of their use for disease prevention.
David Becher identified the basic chemical elements of Carlsbad water, pointed out the important significance of the carbon dioxide contained in it. David Becher contributed greatly to the construction of pavilions and colonnades over the healing springs, without which this Czech spa is unimaginable today.
This "Hippocrates of Carlsbad," as his contemporaries called him, advised his patients to drink the water on the spot, while it still retains its healing properties to the greatest extent.
Glory and pride of Carlsbad
His nephew Josef Vitus Becher (1769-1840) made Carlsbad famous throughout the world at the beginning of the 19th century by creating the famous liqueur. Even today, a factory operates in Carlsbad producing green bottles with a label that has not changed its appearance since the 19th century. Director Tomáš Březgal confirms that even today the composition of the herbs in which the liqueur is steeped is kept secret: "Of course, we do not disclose the specific list. However, I can reveal the secret that it is a mixture of twenty types of herbs and spices. The herbs are collected mainly in the Czech Republic and Central Europe, and the spices, of course, come from distant countries – from Asia and Africa."
There are many legends about the secrets of Becherovka, some of which are pure truth. For example, only two people know the exact composition of the herbs, and Tomáš Březgal confirms this: "Yes, that's right. My colleague Bohuslav Pich and I are the two chosen ones who know the recipe. We are bound not only by a promise to keep the secret but also by a confidentiality agreement that we signed."
Bohuslav Pich has been faithfully guarding the secret of the liqueur for 45 years. To throw off the trail of those wishing to learn the secret recipe of Becherovka, the company's management even orders extra herbs and changes spice suppliers. "None of the suppliers should know exactly what volume of spices we need per year, and which specific types of herbs. All of this is part of our secret.
We cannot send someone a specific list: 'Send us so much of this and so much of that,'" laughs Tomáš Březgal. It is no secret that the base of Becherovka is a wine distillate containing about 75% alcohol. Such a liquid, obtained by distilling wine material, serves as the basis for brandy and other similar alcoholic beverages. Among the declassified ingredients of the liqueur are pepper, cinnamon, anise, orange peel, cardamom...
Recipe with an English accent
But let us return to the creator of the liqueur. Josef Vitus Becher was a trader in colonial goods and, like many family members, was seriously interested in chemistry and, of course, understood spices. When he turned 25, Josef founded his first enterprise for the production of alcoholic beverages and began making liqueurs.
And then came that great stroke of luck that often serves as the impetus for the most important discoveries. In 1805, a certain Prince Maximilian Friedrich von Plettenberg settled in Becher's house "At the Three Larks" with his personal physician – the Englishman Christian Frobrig.
Becher often had conversations with the English doctor, with whom he became close friends. Both connoisseurs of chemistry frequently discussed herbs and their properties, and upon parting, Frobrig left his Carlsbad friend a recipe for a certain liqueur. For two years, Josef Vitus refined this drink, which in 1807 he began selling as stomach drops – it is no wonder that Becherovka is believed to stimulate digestion.
In small bottles, the liquid for the stomach was sold directly in the house "At the Three Larks" under the name Carlsbader English Bitter – in memory of that very English doctor. Then the liqueur received the name Original Karlsbader Becherbitter and gradually gained enormous popularity, not only within the Austrian Empire but also abroad.
Josef Vitus Becher left his secret recipe to his son Jan (Johann) Becher (1813–1895), who took over the production of the liqueur in 1838. In 1866, Becherovka began to be bottled in typical flat half-liter bottles, whose design was invented by the owner's son-in-law, Karl Laube. The liqueur's label itself is a real cryptogram of symbols and riddles. It is hard not to notice the letters JB, meaning "Jan Becher," but that is not all – the image of two spices, cinnamon and cloves, partially reveals the secret of the liqueur's recipe. In 1907, the bottle acquired its green color – it protects the drink from the penetration of sunlight and preserves the aroma of the herbs.
Today in Karlovy Vary, a museum has been opened in the former factory building – the Jan Becher Museum, which is visited by 60,000 tourists annually. It houses old labels, bottles, and even barrels in which the famous liqueur once created by Josef Vitus Becher matured. His son Jan Nepomuk Becher, whose signature still adorns every label of the liqueur, is considered the founder of the company, without whose products it is impossible to imagine not only Karlovy Vary but also the Czech Republic itself.
In the 20th century, Becherovka became one of the most popular Czech brands on the world market. In 1997, the company became part of the international holding Pernod Ricard. Today, Becherovka is exported to more than 40 countries worldwide – last year sales exceeded 3.6 million liters.
How to drink the famous Czech liqueur? Becherovka mixes easily with other drinks, so it is very popular in cocktails. The most famous is the Beton, which combines Becherovka, tonic, and lime. This cocktail was even presented at the international EXPO 1967 exhibition in Montreal.
For those who prefer to drink the liqueur neat, Tomáš Bryzgál advises cooling the drink to zero degrees, but of course, it's all a matter of taste.