Kir
Crisp white wine with a splash of crème de cassis, cold and lightly sweet with a faint blackcurrant tartness. The classic French apéritif. Use Crémant or Champagne instead of the wine and you have a kir royale!
Ingredients
- 15 ml blackcurrant liqueur crème de cassis de Dijon
- 80 ml dry white wine any decent dry white wine
Equipment
Instructions
1. Add the blackcurrant liqueur
- Pour the blackcurrant liqueur into the bottom of a chilled glass: a small white wine glass for a Kir, a flute for a Kir Royal.
2. Top with wine
- Slowly top up with well-chilled dry white wine (Kir) or sparkling wine (Kir Royal). Pour gently so it doesn't foam, and let it blend to an even blush pink. Don't stir a Royal, or you'll lose the bubbles. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Aim for pale blush pink, not deep purple. Too much cassis makes it cloying. A Kir should be dry and refreshing.
- Blackcurrant liqueur first, then wine. Pouring the wine first leaves the cassis sitting at the bottom.
- Keep the wine cold. It chills the whole drink, since the cassis goes in at room temperature.
- For a Kir Royal, Crémant de Bourgogne is the authentic (and cheaper) choice, no need for vintage Champagne.
- Use a dry wine. The cassis brings the sweetness; a dry, acidic white or brut sparkling keeps it balanced.