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This classic kir royale recipe is easy to make with sparkling wine, crème de cassis and your choice of berries for garnish.
Tell me you watched Emily in Paris without telling me you watched Emily in Paris…♡
Yes, I admit that Netflix’s favorite influencer recently influenced me to make a round of these bubbly cocktails for a recent gathering with girlfriends. But a classic kir royale genuinely is just so lovely and refreshing to sip on a warm day. And with just two main ingredients, it couldn’t be easier to make.
If you happen to be new to the kir royale, this classic French cocktail is traditionally made by topping crème de cassis (a sweet blackcurrant liqueur) with sparkling white wine (such as Champagne). It is a sophisticated, bubbly, vibrant red cocktail that takes literally less than a minute to prepare, making this a great option for easy entertaining. And if you feel like adding a garnish, fresh berries or a lemon twist are always beautiful additions.
Cheers and sauté!
Kir Royale Ingredients
A few brief notes about the kir royale ingredients that you will need to make this recipe:
- Crème de cassis: This classic French blackcurrant liqueur is the heart of this cocktail. Made and bottled for over 150 years in the city of Dijon, France, crème de cassis is a beautiful deep red liqueur with a rich, sweet, dark berry flavor. If you’re unable to track down a bottle for this cocktail, Chambord (a French raspberry liqueur) offers a similar flavor and could be used in its place.
- Dry sparkling white wine: Chilled Champagne or another French sparkling white wine is the traditional choice for this cocktail, but cava or prosecco or any other sparkling white wine you love best could work just as well here too. I definitely recommend a brut, brut nature, or ultra brut bottle so that its dry acidity can balance out the sweetness of the blackcurrant liqueur.
- Fresh berries (optional): I believe fresh berries add such a lovely garnish to this cocktail, so feel free to add a few to each glass if you would like. A lemon twist would be a lovely garnish as well.
Kir Royale Equipment
To make this kir royale recipe, you will need:
- Glasses: A classic champagne flute is traditionally used as a kir royale glass, but a stemless champagne flute or a coupe glass would also work well for this cocktail. To keep your drinks nice and cold, it can also help to briefly chill your glasses before filling.
- Cocktail jigger: A cocktail jigger can be used to measure the crème de cassis. Or you can just make things easy and use a tablespoon measuring spoon.
How To Make A Kir Royale Cocktail
This cocktail truly couldn’t be easier to make. Simply…
- Mix liqueur and berries. Pour the crème de cassis into a champagne flute and add in a few berries.
- Add sparkling wine. Fill to the top with sparkling wine.
- Serve. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Kir Royale FAQs
How do you pronounce kir royale? Take a quick listen here to hear the proper kir royale pronunciation. ♡
What does kir royale mean? The kir royale (or kir royal) was actually named after Canon Félix Kir, a Catholic priest who became a resistance hero in France during WWII and eventually became the mayor of Dijon. To “royale” a drink is to add sparkling wine.
Kir vs kir royale? The kir cocktail is traditionally made with crème de cassis and white wine, whereas the kir royal uses sparkling white wine.
What is the history of the kir royale drink? The kir royale (also known as a kir cocktail, a kir aperitif or simply a kir) is a variation on the kir cocktail, which was created in France in 1904.¹ It was popularized by Canon Félix Kir during his tenure as mayor of Dijon, France. Kir enjoyed promoting local products at official government functions, and the combination of local white wine mixed with the locally-produced crème de cassis became his signature drink originally known as Canon Kir’s aperitif, then shortened to Father Kir’s, and finally just Kir. The variation with Champagne became popularly enjoyed as a Kir Royale.
Kir royale ratio? The traditional ratio of sparkling wine to crème de cassis is 6:1, but I typically just add a few berries and then fill a champagne glass nearly to the top.
When to serve a kir royale? Yes, the kir royale is an aperitif, which means that it is traditionally served and enjoyed before dinner. But this drink would also be lovely served for brunch or as a fun bubbly cocktail to end the night.
More Bubbly Cocktails
Looking for more refreshing fizzy cocktails to try this season? Here are a few of our favorites:
- French 75
- Mimosa
- Campari Spritz
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