Kir recipe
Ingredients for
1 Kir:
- Cassis (1-2
tablespoons or 15-30 ml)
- White wine (about 6
ounces or 150 ml)
- Wine Glass
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Preparation
Time: 1 Minute |
Cooking Time: 0 Minutes |
Aperitif Recipe:
If the Cassis is
added first, it is evenly mixed with the wine. If the wine is
added first, the Cassis is not evenly mixed (due to the smaller
volume of Cassis relative to the wine). The former approach
gives a more even taste and is preferable from that perspective
whereas the latter approach gives a more pleasing appearance
with the uneven mixing of the Cassis resulting in a fine pink at
the bottom of the glass shading up to a bright red at the top.
The wine should
be a dry white and is traditionally a dry white Burgundy. One
should use a good wine but not a fine one (as the delicate
shadings of a fine wine will be lost in the strong flavour of
the Cassis). It should not have a strong taste (one reason for
using a typical Burgundy) as one wants the aperitif to reflect
the taste of the Cassis.
The ratio of
Cassis to wine depends on personal preference. See below for
discussion.
Notes:
One can serve Kir in either a
standard wine glass or a flute (champagne glass). In France, a
standard wine glass is always used for Kir, with the flute being
reserved for Kir Royal.
The official recipe for Kir
calls for one-third Cassis and two-thirds wine. However, most
people find that this is far too strong in terms of taste,
sweetness and alcohol contents. A ration of one part of Cassis
to 5 parts of wine is preferred by most people.
Kir and Cassis are both from
France (see history below). In France the word "Cassis" means
"blackcurrant". The liquor made from the blackcurrant berry is
known in France as "crème de cassis". Outside France, "crème de
cassis" is normally abbreviated to "cassis". Therefore, beware
that if in France you ask for white wine with "cassis" you are
likely to get a glass with some berries floating in it (if your
bartender has a sense of humour).
For a more elegant and refined
drink, see
Kir Royal
.
History:
K ir is named after Cannon Félix
Kir, priest and hero of the French resistance during World War
II, and mayor of Dijon from 1945 to 1968. He was very fond of
the local white wine mixed with Creme de Cassis (blackcurrant
liquor). This fondness has been variously attributed to:
- His desire to promote local
products (which he certainly was known for)
- The fact that local wine was
often somewhat acidic, so the sweetness of the liquor would
pleasantly offset this
- Or perhaps just because he
liked to drink
Whatever the reason, it became
the official aperitif at town hall receptions and gained
increasing fame. Prior to this point the drink was simply known
as "vin blanc cassis" (which translates as white wine with creme
de cassis). However, during this period, it became widely know
as Kir, the term which is now commonly used with France and
world-wide.
The drink certainly seemed to
agree with Canon Kir, as he was well into his nineties when he
died in 1968. One might mention that blackcurrants have
approximately seven times as much vitamin C as oranges (for
comparable weights), much of which is reputedly preserved within
the Creme de Cassis.
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