IBA
Kir – IBA
A berry and sweet wine & sparkling cocktail ∙ Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 13.5% ABV ∙
The Kir is a French apéritif of dry white wine poured over a small measure of crème de cassis, a blackcurrant liqueur.
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 Royale – use Champagne instead of White wine
Tips
- Use a well-chilled bottle of wine; with no ice, the drink is only as cold as you pour it.
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?
Dry white wine and crème de cassis, a blackcurrant liqueur: 90 ml wine poured over 10 ml cassis in a chilled flute. It is not shaken or stirred.
What liquor is used in a Kir cocktail?
Crème de cassis, a sweet blackcurrant liqueur. Only a little goes in, enough to tint and sweeten the wine without taking over.
What does Kir taste like?
Crisp and lightly sweet: dry white wine with blackcurrant fruit from the cassis. It is mild, about 13.5% ABV, since it is mostly wine.
What does Kir mean in French?
Nothing descriptive: Kir is a surname. The drink is named after Canon Félix Kir, the mayor of Dijon who served it at official receptions.
How does a Kir Royale differ from a Kir?
A Kir Royale uses Champagne instead of still white wine, so it is the sparkling version. The small measure of crème de cassis stays the same.
