ABSTRACT
Most archaeologists and anthropologists accept that the production and consumption of material culture provide an important mechanism for the negotiation of personal and collective identities and bonds. In making, exchanging, and using things, individuals construct and express their own position with reference to wider social structures. The starting point of this research was a project of archaeological and scientific analyses focused on the archaeology of alchemy and also aimed at reconstructing the production and consumption of crucibles in the post-medieval world. Becherovka is an herbal alcoholic drink that has been produced in the Czech Republic for the last 200 years. It was originally sold as a medicinal tonic by its inventor, the pharmacist Jan Becher, but today the becherovka brand belongs to the multinational Pernord Richard, and the spirit is sold to tourists and locals alike as the Czech "national drink".
