What is "Breath of the dead lover?"

August 24, 2012 11:14 PM

Has anyone heard of an alcoholic drink possibly of Czech origin, called "Breath of the dead lover?"

Other details. This was in a small town north of Prague. It was served in a shot glass and had an herbal flavor. The person who ordered it was Estonian. It was not my only drink that night and we were communicating in a mixture of English and German so the accuracy of my memory may be in question.

posted by the_artificer to food & drink (13 answers total)

Do you think it was Becherovka? (Liqueur with aniseed, cinnamon, and 32 other herbs)
posted by Houstonian at 11:44 PM on August 24, 2012

Czech and herbal screams Becherovka to me. No idea about the florid name.
posted by themel at 11:47 PM on August 24, 2012

Fernet Stock is nicknamed "dech mrtvé milenky" (breath of a dead lover). I think it tastes like hairspray.
posted by Ariadne at 11:51 PM on August 24, 2012 [7 favorites]

I think that you are thinking of Fernet. I have heard it called this.
posted by jennyjenny at 11:56 PM on August 24, 2012

And I'm really stretching things now, but would that be phonetically similar to a drunk foreigner? The ch is a voiceless velar fricative here, which doesn't seem to be popular in mainstream English.
posted by themel at 12:02 AM on August 25, 2012

I retract my answer. Ariadne has it right. If you google the phrase, you see a photo of Fernet Stock. Even moreso, look at her profile -- she knows what she's talking about.
posted by Houstonian at 12:17 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]

Thanks so much! I've been really curious. Unfortunately it doesn't appear to be available here.
posted by the_artificer at 12:24 AM on August 25, 2012

Malort might be kinda close to this, and it is definitely available in the Chicago area; you can probably find it online somewhere
posted by Fig at 2:52 AM on August 25, 2012

I don't know about Fernet Stock, but as of 2006 you could get Becherovka at Zakopane on Division St in Wicker Park (if you're interested).
posted by treefort at 5:41 AM on August 25, 2012

Oh, sorry, I misread and assumed you were in Chicago.
posted by treefort at 5:43 AM on August 25, 2012

Malort might be kinda close to this, and it is definitely available in the Chicago area; you can probably find it online somewhere

Agreed. It also tastes like hairspray, so it might be similar.
posted by gjc at 7:58 AM on August 25, 2012

Hm, I will have to remember to taste for the hairspray next time; I always get strong notes of Band-Aid.
posted by Fig at 8:10 AM on August 25, 2012 [3 favorites]

You might find this Fernet.
http://www.fernetbranca.com/
My friends that tried mentioned medicine taste, maybe it's "hairspray like" tasting!
posted by jennstra at 8:52 AM on August 25, 2012