Kir Royale
Kir Royale, the cocktail to see you through every occasion - from Christmas to New Year’s, and even Valentine’s Day! A little fancy, a lot delicious, and incredibly simple make. Fiona Hugues, writing for Nourish Magazine, uncovers its cheeky history and shares the recipe of this fizzy drink.
KIR ROYALE
Rolling on to another cocktail born in war times, into a classic story of stealing someone’s shit then duplicity owning it – the Kir was created by a lowly bartender named Faivre in the Burgundy region of France during the 1940s. During WW2, the Nazis stole a lot of the red wine within the region, so in a wildly shifty move blackcurrant liqueur ‘Cassis’ was added to white wine to make it more like red wine. This proved an accidentally delicious concoction that rapidly gained popularity. Ownership of the creation was promptly nicked by an undoubtedly slimy Catholic priest and politician, a chap by the name of Félix Kir. He was also the mayor of Dijon, so rather naturally I presume, named the bevvy after himself and served it at all his pompous soirées.
Quite how the fancier Kir Royale with champagne bubbles was created is still debated but it’s marriage of the sparkling wine's effervescence with the sweet and tangy Crème de Cassis created a new level of refinement which still tickles fancies today. Internationally the Kir Royale gained prominence and recognition as an aperitif, served before the best meals to stimulate the appetite and set the stage for delicious dining ahead and is still served widely today at all the best French soirées.
Pour one part crème de cassis [blackcurrant liqueur] into a flute and top with five parts chilled champagne.
Add a dash of bitters if you hanker for more flavour complexity.
Salut!