This is a story about how sometimes two ingredients have to be together, complementing each other and creating balance. Quite run-of-the-mill components on their own, they make the perfect combination and work great together.
This drink consists of just two ingredients, Creme de Cassis liqueur and chilled white wine Bourgogne Aligote, topped up. The key to creating a balanced drink lies in the proportions of liquor and wine. Simom Difford does not recommend sticking to the classic ratio of 1/3 liqueur and 2/3 wine, as the result is an overly sweet drink. It offers a ratio of liquor to wine ranging from 1: 5 to 1: 7.
The origin of the cocktail goes back to 1904, when at Cafe George in Dijon, France, a waiter before the name Faivre first proposed the idea of mixing white wine and Creme de Cassis. His drink became known as Classic Blanc, but today it is known as Kir in connection with the promo campaign of Felix Kir, a prominent politician and hero of the WWII resistance. During his tenure as head of the city council, he looked for ways to promote local products, including the Creme de Cassis liqueur and Bourgogne Aligote wine. Their mixture was first called Kir's aperitif, then Father Kir's, and then the name was simplified to Kir.
Bourgogne Aligote is a white wine made from Aligote grapes grown in Burgundy, protected by a certificate of origin control (French Appellation d'origine controlee, abbreviated AOC).
Many sources indicate that the use of white wine is due to the lack of red Burgundy wine, caused by the confiscation of most of the reserves by the German army. Or it could be due to the poor quality of the white wine that year, and the liqueur thus became a disguise and hid the flaws of the bright blackcurrant sweetness.
Using champagne and other sparkling wines in combination with Creme de Cassis gives us a variation called Kir Royal. It is important to consider the type of sparkling wine. To maintain the balance of sour and sweet, brut nature and ultra brut champagne are needed.
In 1951, when Kir became widely known, Roger Damidot (owner of Lejay-Lagoute, the largest producer of the region's Creme de Cassis liqueur brand) invited Felix Kir to copyright the use of the Kir name. Perhaps this flattered him incredibly, and on November 20, 1951, the following letter came to the French National Assembly:
"Canon Felix Kir, Member of Parliament and Mayor of the City of Dijon, grants the Lejay-Lagoute company, headed by Roger Damidot, the exclusive right to use his name for blackcurrant liqueur for advertising purposes in whatever form he sees fit."
Armed with this letter, Lejay-Lagoute patented the brand under the name Kir in March 1952.
Years later, watching the cocktail's popularity as an aperitif grow, Felix wanted to offer similar privileges to other Creme de Cassis liqueur producers, but the ownership of the trademark was already assigned to Lejay-Lagoute, and it was too late to change anything in this matter. Numerous legal proceedings ensured the transfer of the case to the French supreme court, 'Cour de Cassation, where exclusive trademark rights were confirmed on October 27, 1992. Following their triumph, Lejay-Lagoute registered and started production of Kir Royal, a pre-prepared mixture of liqueur and sparkling wine.
If a cocktail is created using cremant or cava wines, then it is called Kir Petillant (from French petillant - sparkling).
The most famous variations are:
- Kir Royal - with the replacement of white wine with champagne.
- Kir Imperial - with the replacement of blackcurrant liqueur with raspberry, and our wines are champagne.
- Communard / Cardinal - with the replacement of white wine for red.
