Traditional Czech baverages
Beers
The Czech most popular drink is of course beer. Czech people are proud of their beer and drink it with great pleasure not only in pubs, beer halls or restaurants but also at home. Drinking and purchasing alcohol is allowed from the age of 18, and is permitted also in public places such as streets, trains, etc.
Beer can be bought bottled, pasteurised or non-pasteurised (for example Bernard), in different types (lager, stout, light, dark) and in many places but the best way to taste the Czech beer is on draught.
Every different brand has a somehow different taste and colour. For those who prefer a sweeter taste than it has normal lager, we recommend Czech dark beer. Some beer brands you might have already heard of are: Pilsner Urquell, Krusovice, Bernard, Staropramen, Budweiser Budvar and Velvet.
Read more and get to know Czech beer better.
Wines
Czech wine is produced mainly in Moravia, the South – Eastern Part of the Czech Republic. Although it might be not as famous as other South Eastern wines, the Czech wine is known through its representatives like: Frankovka and Modry Portugal from the red wines and Muller – Thurgau and Riesling from the white ones.
During the cold season Hot wine (Svarak) is popular in most wineries (“Vinarna”), bars and even on the street, at special events organised at Christmas markets. Wineries are becoming more and more popular in Prague and one can nowadays see them more often even in the centre of the city.
One winery with tradition and well deserved renown is Blatnicka. It works also as a small cosy restaurant, where you can try some good traditional Czech food.
Address:
Michalska 6-8
Old Town, Prague 1
Spirits
Becherovka
is a herbal liquor from Karlovy Vary, traditionally made out of several secret plants. It is said to be good for digestion and to have medicinal properties.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t necesatily mean that it will be your favorite. We recommend tasting it before buying an entire bottle :-)
It can be great in different combinations and cocktails. A few good ideas can be found on the official becherovka website
Fernet
is another herbal beverage, very appreciated by the Czech people (and not only by them).
It comes in different variants, Stock (or bitter), Citrus (Lemon) and is best served cold or with ice.