A Traditional Czech Spirit Gets a Modern Look

Andreea Bora designed this botanical-inspired label for a traditional Czech spirit.

"In the 19th century, Rosolka was one of the most popular Czech liqueurs. The basis of the recipe was the carnivorous plant sundew ('rosnatka'), which, however, has become so rare over time that the liqueur has been forgotten. The first 'Rosoglio' was made in Italy in 1332, and this liqueur was considered a cure for many diseases.

The mysterious drink was re-created by Martin Žufánek and Roman Van?k in the program Zmlsané d?jiny on the online channel MALL.TV. The production used the best wine spirit, sundew (which was imported from around the world), and a little sugar."

"Only 20 bottles have been created and, due to the scarcity of the source material, the production may not be able to be repeated ever again. That is why the price of one shot in bars and restaurants is quite high, the purchase price of the whole bottle starts at 5,900 CZK. There were only 4 bottles available for purchase, the others being distributed to bars and restaurants across the Czech Republic."

"The label design of this extremely limited edition spirit tries to combine the old and the new, expressing the unique qualities of the product - the result of mixing history with modernity, an old recipe made today, with modern knowledge and technology. The label tries to show this contrast in design, by mixing old botanical atlas illustrations with modern branding elements. Like taking a page from an old book and putting colorful stickers on it. The bright red color is inspired by the sundew plant itself and the suggestion of a dangerous substance, while the small text that goes around the label tells the consumer more about this fascinating carnivorous plant.

Each individual label is unique, being signed by hand by Martin Žufánek and Roman Van?k and numbered from 1 to 20."