- White wine (about 6 ounces or 150 ml)
- Wine Glass
Aperitif Recipe:
• Pour the Cassis into the wine glass
• Add the white wine
• Serve
If the Cassis is added first, it is evenly mixed with the wine. If the wine is added
first, the Cassis is not evenly mixed (due to the smaller volume of Cassis relative to
the wine). The former approach gives a more even taste and is preferable from that
perspective whereas the latter approach gives a more pleasing appearance with the
uneven mixing of the Cassis resulting in a fine pink at the bottom of the glass
shading up to a bright red at the top.
The wine should be a dry white and is traditionally a dry white Burgundy. One
should use a good wine but not a fine one (as the delicate shadings of a fine wine
will be lost in the strong flavour of the Cassis). It should not have a strong taste
(one reason for using a typical Burgundy) as one wants the aperitif to reflect the
taste of the Cassis.
The ratio of Cassis to wine depends on personal preference. See below for
discussion.
Notes:
One can serve Kir in either a standard wine glass or a flute (champagne glass).
In France, a standard wine glass is always used for Kir, with the flute being
reserved for Kir Royal.
The official recipe for Kir calls for one-third Cassis and two-thirds wine.
However, most people find that this is far too strong in terms of taste,
sweetness and alcohol contents. A ration of one part of Cassis to 5 parts of wine
is preferred by most people.
Kir and Cassis are both from France (see history below). In France the word
"Cassis" means "blackcurrant". The liquor made from the blackcurrant berry is
known in France as "crème de cassis". Outside France, "crème de cassis" is
normally abbreviated to "cassis". Therefore, beware that if in France you ask
for white wine with "cassis" you are likely to get a glass with some berries
floating in it (if your bartender has a sense of humour).
For a more elegant and refined drink, see Kir Royal .
History:
Kir is named after Cannon Félix Kir, priest and hero of the French resistance during
World War II, and mayor of Dijon from 1945 to 1968. He was very fond of the local
white wine mixed with Creme de Cassis (blackcurrant liquor). This fondness has
been variously attributed to:
- His desire to promote local products (which he certainly was known for)
- The fact that local wine was often somewhat acidic, so the sweetness of the liquor
would pleasantly offset this
- Or perhaps just because he liked to drink
Whatever the reason, it became the official aperitif at town hall receptions and
gained increasing fame. Prior to this point the drink was simply known as "vin blanc
cassis" (which translates as white wine with creme de cassis). However, during this
period, it became widely know as Kir, the term which is now commonly used with
France and world-wide.
The drink certainly seemed to agree with Canon Kir, as he was well into his nineties
when he died in 1968. One might mention that blackcurrants have approximately
seven times as much vitamin C as oranges (for comparable weights), much of
which is reputedly preserved within the Creme de Cassis.
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