Kir (cocktail)

Kir

IBA official cocktail
Type	Wine cocktail
Base spirit	Wine
Served	Straight up: chilled, without ice
Standard drinkware	Wine glass (white)
IBA specified ingredients†	9 cl (9 parts) white wine 1 cl (1 part) crème de cassis
Preparation	Add the crème de cassis to the bottom of the glass, then top up with wine.
Commonly served	Before Dinner
Notes	A recipe can be found at the International Bartenders Association website.
† Kir recipe at International Bartenders Association

Kir is a French cocktail made with a measure of crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) topped up with white wine.

In France it is usually drunk as an apéritif before a meal or snack. Originally made with Bourgogne Aligoté,^[1] a Burgundy white wine, today it is made with various white wines throughout France, according to the region and the barkeeper. Many prefer a white Chardonnay-based Burgundy, such as Chablis.

Formerly known as blanc-cassis, the beverage is now named after Félix Kir (1876–1968), mayor of Dijon in Burgundy. Kir was a pioneer of the twinning movement in the aftermath of the Second World War, and popularized the drink by offering it at receptions to visiting delegations. Besides treating his international guests well, he was also promoting two economic products of the region. Kir allowed one of Dijon's producers of crème de cassis to use his name, then extended the right to their competitors as well. According to Rolland (2004),^[2] the reinvention of blanc-cassis (post-1945) was necessitated by the German Army's confiscation of all the local red Burgundy during the war. Faced with an excess of white wine, Kir renovated a drink that used to be made primarily with red.

Following the commercial development of crème de cassis in 1841, the cocktail became popular in regional cafés, but has since become inextricably linked internationally with the name of Mayor Kir. When ordering a Kir, waiters in France sometimes ask whether the customer wants it made with crème de cassis, de mûre (blackberry), de pêche (peach), or framboise (raspberry).

The International Bartenders Association gives a recipe using 1/10 crème de cassis, though French sources typically specify about 1/5. Meanwhile, 19th-century recipes for blanc-cassis recommended 1/3 crème de cassis, which modern tastes would find cloyingly sweet. Replacing the crème de cassis with blackcurrant syrup is discouraged.^[3]