Pour a little blackcurrant liqueur into a cold glass, top with crisp white Burgundy and watch it turn a soft rosé pink. The Kir is one of the easiest aperitifs there is, and with good wine it tastes of ripe dark berries and fresh acidity at the same time.
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Top with the cold white wine; it mixes by itself as you pour.
Serve at once without garnish.
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Watch it made
Kir
Taste
Fresh and dry with ripe blackcurrant sweetness and bright acidity. Light, low in alcohol and very aperitif-like.
History and origin
White wine sweetened with blackcurrant liqueur was drunk in Burgundy long before it had a famous name; locally it was simply called blanc-cassis. The drink owes its current name to Félix Kir, a Catholic canon and member of the French Resistance who served as mayor of Dijon from 1945 until his death in 1968.
Kir served blanc-cassis at official receptions to promote two regional products, the sharp white wine made from the Aligoté grape and the crème de cassis produced around Dijon. The habit became so closely linked to him that the drink took his name. The IBA lists it among its contemporary classics, with the Kir Royal, made with Champagne, as the best known variation.
Bartender tips
Use a high acid, unoaked white. Aligoté is traditional; Chablis-style Chardonnay or a dry Muscadet also work.
Go easy on the cassis. The IBA ratio of 1 to 9 keeps it an aperitif rather than a dessert drink.
Buy a good crème de cassis with high fruit content and keep it in the fridge once open.
