Becherovka

Becherovka was first made in Karlovy Vary in 1807 by Josef Vitus Becher, a chemist, working from a recipe attributed to an English doctor named Frobrig who had stayed with the family; it was sold at first as a stomach medicine. It is a bitter herbal liqueur of thirty-eight per cent, flavoured with around twenty herbs and spices of which cinnamon and anise are identifiable, and the recipe is genuinely restricted - the company states that only two people know it at any time, that they prepare the herb mixture themselves in a locked room once a week, and that they do not travel together. Karlovy Vary has twelve hot springs used for drinking cures, and the liqueur has been called the thirteenth. The Jan Becher Museum occupies the original distillery buildings with the cellars, equipment, advertising history and a tasting.

What you'll find

• A restricted recipe - two people at a time, mixing the herbs in a locked room.
• The original distillery - cellars and equipment in the museum buildings.
• A medicine turned liqueur - sold from 1807 as a stomach remedy.
• The thirteenth spring - the local name, beside the town's twelve hot springs.

When to go

All year. Two hours.

Practical notes

The museum tour is timed and includes a tasting, with age limits. Production has moved to a modern plant - the museum is the historic building, not the working distillery. It is bitter and strongly spiced.

Nearby

The Karlovy Vary colonnades and hot springs are in the centre.