Kir and Kir Royale with Recipe | co*cktail Society (2024)

By Timo Torner/ Last updated on May 7, 2023

The Kir co*cktail is a white wine and cassis co*cktail from France, where it is a popular and fashionable drink to celebrate.

The Kir co*cktail is a classic aperitif, and the balance between its two ingredients, white wine & creme de cassis, is the key to making this drink perfect.

Quick Facts Kir co*cktail

• Method:built in glass
• Flavor profile:dry, fruity
• How to serve it:straight up
• Glassware:champagne flute
• Alcohol content:~ 13% ABV, 22 grams of alcohol per serving

Read more about the classic French co*cktail - including the famous variation with champagne- and the drink got its name.

Ingredients & Recommendations

The list of ingredients for the Kir co*cktail is short: Crème de Cassis and white wine. The white wine used in the original recipe is Bourgogne Aligoté - that means it is made of the Aligoté grape variety from the Burgundy region in France.

The wine is known for its fruity, dry, and acidic taste. Get a bottle of that if you can. If you cannot, opt for something with a similar flavor profile.

Crème de Cassis is a sweet, dark red liqueur made from blackcurrants. It's usually around 40 proof (20% ABV), and we can recommend the products from Lejay and Giffard. However, if you happen to have a favorite, go with that.

Tips for a great Kir co*cktail

As mentioned, measurements are crucial when making the Kir co*cktail.And, to avoid serving a lukewarm drink, you have to chill all your ingredients. Ideally, this also includes your glass to help your drink stay cool for longer.

Further, you add half the wine into your glass, then the Crème de Cassis, and only then, pour the remaining half of the white wine. Like this, the ingredients mix well without stirring.

Regarding the ratio of white wine to creme de cassis, we prefer the 6:1 approach given in our recipe.

The IBA, for instance, asks for 1 part crème de cassis per 9 parts Bourgogne Aligoté in their recipe. We find that underrepresents the beautiful blackcurrant liqueur and prefer to keep it close to the original.

Variations - the Kir Royale

The Kir Royale brought forth various variations over the years, the best-known being the Kir Royale. Instead of white wine, you need sparkling wine is used to prepare the aperitif. If you want to stick to the original, it's - of course- champagne - hence, theRoyale.

This luxurious version was also prominently promoted as "the perfect drink to sit and do nothing" in season 3, episode 4 of the successful Netflix seriesEmily in Paris. That brought the Kir back into the consciousness of many - also outside the French borders.

The co*cktail is super easy to make and also extremely easy to drink. You should, however, adjust measurements slightly. For one part of crème de cassis, you need eight parts of Brut Champagne to get the balance right.

Other, lesser known, variations of the Kir co*cktail are:

• Kir Impérial - made with champagne and crème de framboise (raspberry liqueur) instead of cassis
• Kir Berrichon - made with red wine and crème de mûre and named after Berrichon, a dialect spoken in the French province of Berry.
• Kir Breton - made with Breton cider instead of white wine
• Kir Bière - made with lager or light ale

History

According to Simon Difford, the Kir co*cktail was invented in 1904 by a waiter who worked at Café George in Dijon - a French town close to the Swiss border. At first, the co*cktail's name was Blanc-cassis. And it was quite a while later that his fusion of crème de cassis and white wine got renamed Kir.

That name change happened due to Félix Kir, the Mayor of Dijon. In addition to being mayor of the city, he was a fond promoter of the aperitif.

After World War II ended, Félix Kir started the so-called twinning movement. Twinning in this context means that cities engage with cities from other countries through a legal and social agreement.

Each time Kir welcomed guests to his city as part of his twinning campaign, he served his favorite drink invented in Dijon - the Blanc-cassis.

Word got around, and after some time, Kir was approached by a producer of crème de cassis who asked if it would be alright to use his name for a recipe.

Kir agreed, and another short while later, other producers were allowed to use his name, too. And eventually, the whole drink was named after Kir.

Related co*cktails

The Kir Royale is reminiscent of other famous combinations of fruity components with sparkling wine like:

• theMimosa- orange juice and champagne
• theBellini co*cktail- peach puree and champagne
• the Black Velvet - champagne and Guinneess