The Spirit World

For Valentines Day I can think of no better cocktail to celebrate with than the Kir Royale. It has the obvious benefits of being Champagne for celebration, French for romance, and tinged with pink to take on the appropriate color. There is however another important aspect of this drink that makes it oh-so-appropriate, and that is that it is simple, easy, and quick to make. Face it; we have more important things to take care of then spending time gathering ingredients for a cocktail!

Kir Royale

• 5 ounces chilled sparkling wine
• 1/4 ounce crème de cassis

Fill a champagne flute with champagne, and then add the crème de cassis.
Garnish with a lemon twist.

To understand the Kir Royale, it is necessary to first understand its less regal cousin, the “Kir”. The name Kir, is in recognition of Canon Félix Kir, a former mayor of Dijon, France. The components of a Kir are even simpler then that of the Kir Royale, consisting of white Burgundy wine (specifically Aligoté, but these days Chardonnay is often used instead), and a splash of crème de cassis. Both products being local to the Burgundy region, the origin of the drink itself definitely predates Canon Kir, when it was simply referred to as “blanc-cassis”. Canon Kir became the Mayor of Dijon in 1945, at the close of World War II. He was well known for promoting local products to all visiting dignitaries who visited, and was particularly fond of serving blanc-cassis. His association was so well known in fact that the Damidot family, owners of the Lejay-Lagoutte company in Dijon approached him in 1952 for the right to name this drink “un kir maison”, which of course would be made with Lejay-Lagoutte Cassis.

So whether you make a Kir using white wine, or a Kir Royale using Champagne (or sparkling wine), you’ll end up with a delicious libation indeed. And I suppose if you wanted to instead make yours with beer, you could call it a “Bubba Kir”.