Kir
ClassicWhite wine and cassis. A Burgundian apéritif in two ingredients.
Crisp and lightly sweet, with dry white wine's acidity brightening the deep berry sweetness of crème de cassis. The cassis tints it a glowing garnet and adds a jammy blackcurrant note — simple, elegant, and refreshing.
Ingredients
- 5 oz White Wine
- 0.5 oz Crème de Cassis
- Lemon peel · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Pour the crème de cassis into a wine glass.
- 2
Top slowly with chilled dry white wine.
- 3
Stir once to combine.
- 4
Express a lemon peel over the surface and drop it in.
The Story
The Kir takes its name from Félix Kir, a canon and Resistance hero who became mayor of Dijon after the Second World War and served the drink at official receptions to promote local Burgundian products — the region's crisp Aligoté white and its blackcurrant crème de cassis. The pairing predated him, but his patronage made it famous. It remains the definitive French apéritif.