Beton — Becherovka and tonic over ice with a squeeze of lemon, the Czech national cocktail

Beton

Becherovka and tonic over ice with a squeeze of lemon, the Czech national cocktail

Number of people

Ingredients

  • 1 wedgeLemon
    Squeezed into the drink, then dropped in
    Substitute: Lime, though lemon is the Czech way
  • 4 ozTonic Water
    Ice-cold, added last
    Substitute: Soda water, for a drier glass
  • 2 ozBecherovka
    Poured over a full glass of ice
    Substitute: No substitution; the name is half the bottle

Instructions

  1. Fill a Collins glass with ice and pour in 2 oz Becherovka
  2. Squeeze a lemon wedge into the glass and drop it in
  3. Top with 4 oz cold tonic and stir once

Technique Notes

Squeeze the lemon into the glass rather than perching it on the rim. Becherovka is cinnamon-and-clove sweet, and without the acid actually in the drink the tonic reads as sugar on sugar.

Why the Beton Works

Becherovka is cinnamon, clove and anise over a sweet base, which is close to what tonic already tastes like before the quinine arrives. The quinine is the whole trick: it turns a sweet herbal liqueur into something dry enough to drink all evening.