Beton (Becherovka Tonic) Cocktail Recipe
Czech herbal bitters lengthened with tonic — bittersweet, gently spiced with cinnamon and clove, and very easy to drink.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 9%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Becherovka (Czech herbal bitters)50 ml (1.7 oz)
- Tonic water150 ml (5.1 oz)
How to Make It
- Fill a highball glass to the top with ice cubes.
- Pour in the chilled Becherovka.
- Top with cold tonic water.
- Stir briefly and garnish with a lemon wedge.
Garnish
A lemon wedge.
What it tastes like
It has a bitter backbone, it has a green, botanical backdrop, it is carbonated and it drinks cool and easy.
The technique
Built in the glass. Ice goes into the serving glass, the ingredients go on top, and you stir once if at all. Anything carbonated goes in LAST and never gets stirred; every turn of the spoon costs you bubbles. Fill the glass to the rim with ice: less ice melts faster, not slower.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Tonic water
- Carbonated water made bitter by quinine — that is what separates it from soda. Sugar content varies up to twofold between brands, and that directly sets how sweet the drink lands.
The Story
Becherovka, the herbal bitters from the spa town of Karlovy Vary, found its most popular modern serve in tonic water. Czechs call the mix 'BeTon', a pun on the two ingredients that also means 'concrete'.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Beton (Becherovka Tonic) mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Beton (Becherovka Tonic)?
- Roughly 9% ABV as served — lighter than a beer — a long-conversation drink that takes a second round.
- Can a Beton (Becherovka Tonic) be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Beton (Becherovka Tonic) hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.