IBA
Kir – IBA
Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 11.9% ABV ∙
The Kir is a French wine cocktail built from dry white wine topped over a small measure of crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur). Crisp and faintly sweet, with the wine's tartness softened by a ripe blackcurrant note that lingers into a light, fruity finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour into the glass: Crème de Cassis 10 ml
- Top up with White wine
- Note: Kir Royal – use Champagne instead of White wine
Tips
- Pre-chill the glass and use a cold bottle of wine — this drink has no ice, so starting cold is the only way to keep it crisp.
- Pour the crème de cassis first, then top with wine; pouring the wine first makes the liqueur pool and blend unevenly.
History
Kir is a French apéritif that combines crème de cassis, a blackcurrant liqueur, with white wine, traditionally the Burgundy varietal Bourgogne Aligoté. It was formerly known as blanc-cassis, a regional drink whose blackcurrant liqueur had been commercially developed in Burgundy starting in 1841 and which was popular in local cafés well before the name change.
The drink was renamed Kir after Félix Kir, a canon of the Catholic Church, French Resistance figure, and mayor of Dijon from 1945 until his death in 1968. As a champion of the postwar town-twinning movement, he served the blanc-cassis to visiting delegations at official receptions, both to entertain guests and to promote two of Burgundy's own products, its white wine and its cassis liqueur; he later allowed Dijon cassis producers to use his name for the drink, a right eventually extended to their competitors as well. One account holds that the reinvention of the drink after 1945 was driven by wartime requisitioning of the region's red wine by German forces, which left Burgundy with a surplus of white wine to put to use.
The Kir became an IBA official cocktail, listed among the Contemporary Classics. French bartenders traditionally pour a stronger measure of cassis than the IBA's own specification calls for, reflecting a lingering difference between the international standard and regional practice.
FAQ
What is in a Kir cocktail?
A Kir is built from dry white wine topped over a small measure of crème de cassis, a blackcurrant liqueur. It is simply built in the glass, not shaken or stirred, and served chilled in a flute.
What liquor is used in a Kir cocktail?
Crème de cassis, a sweet blackcurrant liqueur, is the liquor used alongside a dry white wine base. Only a small amount is needed since it is meant to tint and sweeten the wine, not dominate it.
What does Kir taste like?
It tastes crisp and lightly sweet, with the dry white wine's acidity balanced by the blackcurrant liqueur's fruitiness. It is a mild, low-key drink overall, sitting around 12% ABV since it is mostly wine, drier and less rich than a Kir Royale made with Champagne.
What does Kir mean in French?
Kir is a French surname, not a descriptive word; the drink is named after Canon Félix Kir. It carries no other meaning in French beyond identifying this specific wine cocktail.
How does a Kir Royale differ from a Kir?
A Kir Royale replaces the still white wine with Champagne, making it a sparkling version of the same build. Both use the same small measure of crème de cassis; only the base wine changes.
