The Jan Becher Museum in Karlovy Vary tells the history of Becherovka, the bitter herbal liqueur that has been produced here since 1807. The exhibition traces the brand from its origins as a digestive remedy — Jan Becher and a visiting English physician developed it as a stomach medicine — through the 20th century, the nationalisation under communism, and its restoration to the Becher family after 1989.
The tour ends with a tasting, which is the most important part. Becherovka is an acquired taste but a worthwhile one: warm, herbal, slightly sweet, with a bitterness that lingers. The local way to drink it is as a Beton (concrete) — Becherovka and tonic water — which is far more refreshing than it sounds. The museum is in the original distillery building on Teplá Street.