What is kir royale in french?
Last Updated on 23rd June 2022 by Sophie Nadeau
Originating in Burgundy, or Bourgogne as it is so-called in French, Kir is a French cocktail that’s said to have roots dating back to the mid-19th-century, and perhaps even earlier. Nowadays, there are predominantly two popular versions of the beverage; one with a base of Crème de Cassis topped with white wine (Kir), and the other with the blackcurrant liqueur topped by champagne (Kir Royale).
Burgundy itself is located to the East of France and is characterised by its stunning architecture, myriad of beautiful towns, and endless vineyards producing world-famous wine.
Highlights of the historic French region, which was for centuries governed as an independent state in its own right by the Dukes of Burgundy, include the mustard city of Dijon, the churches of Auxerre, and the pastel hues of Mâcon.
All in all, once you’ve explored the glittering lights of Paris and the azure tones of the French Riviera, Burgundy should be next on your bucket list!
With the exception of Bordeaux to the West. Burgundy is the French region which is most synonymous with wine production. After all, it’s from a little vineyard close to Nuits Saint Georges in the heart of the Route des Grands Crus where the most expensive wine in the world is produced. It’s also on the fringes of that very same time, where one of the most famous Crème de Cassis factories, Le Cassissium, is to be found.
And so it should clearly come as no surprise that one of the most famous French wine-based cocktails, Kir, too, originates here. Typically consumed as an aperitif with a snack or meal, this beverage first rose to popularity following the mass production of Crème de Cassis during mid-1800s. At this time, Kir was known as Blanc Cassis (no guesses for wondering why!).
The popular drink is now named for Canon and French Catholic Priest, Félix Kir. And there are several theories or stories as to why that was. You see, Félix Kir was the Mayor of Dijon from 1945 – 1968 (until his death at the age of 92) and was greatly revered as a hero member of the French Resistance.
One theory suggests that one year, when the wine quality was not quite as good as in previous years, Kir added Crème de Cassis to make the dry white wine more palatable! Though a wonderful tale, what is perhaps more likely is that this drink was popularised during delegations.
The Dijon Mayor was one of the main proponents for the twinning system. And if you’re not familiar with the term, then you’ll likely know what this is: sister/ twin cities are cross border towns and cities that form legal, cultural, and social agreements- you know, the twinned names you see of town plaques across Europe.
At receptions, when entertaining guests, Félix Kir would showcase the region’s drink, thus propelling it to world-fame. Today, the drink is ever popular and is usually consumed during special events, but also makes the perfect drink to enjoy during an apero hour cocktail or alternatively as the first drink of a French dinner party.
For those wondering exactly what Crème de Cassis is, and how it’s made, the alcoholic liqueur is made by fruit brandy, blackcurrants, water, refined sugar, and the buds from the cassis fruit. Though there are a number of Kir variations, the Kir Royale is the most famous.
Other alternative drinks include the Cidre Royal (made with cider instead of wine), Kir Breton (made with Breton cider rather than wine), Kir Bianco (made with Vermouth rather than wine) and Kir Impérial (made with cherry liqueur as opposed to Crème de Cassis).
Finally, contrary to what you may believe, the perfect Kir is not as deep a colour as rosé wine, but more of a blush shade. As such, be sure not to add too much Crème de Cassis. After all, the perfect Kir shouldn’t be too sweet, unless, of course, that’s your preference…
Sophie Nadeau loves dogs, books, travel, pizza, and history. A fan of all things France related, she runs solosophie.com when she’s not chasing after the next sunset shot or consuming something sweet. She currently splits her time between Paris and London. Subscribe to Sophie’s YouTube Channel.
Walk into any restaurant or brasserie in France and you will see it on the menu: Kir. It is usually under apéritifs, and is a recipe mix of crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) topped up with a white wine from Burgundy, such as Chablis or Aligoté. And there is the luxuriously sounding Kir Royale, with champagne. Yum!
Served chilled, a kir is usually a bit sweet and wonderfully refreshing. In France, where the main meal is usually only accompanied by wine and water, a kir is the quintessential drink, meant to be indulged in along with an appetizer or starter. A typical French meal can be quite long so strap on a seatbelt, the kir is just the start.
It originally used to be called blanc-cassis (meaning white-cassis) but it is now named after a man named Félix Kir, who was the mayor of Dijon in Burgundy.
The story goes that after WWII and the German Army’s confiscation of all the local red wines, Mr. Kir decided to substitute white wines into another drink to make use of the excessive amounts of white wine available.
The Burgundy region is more famous for its red wines than its whites, so it is also possible that Mr. Kir decided to combine the local white wines with crème de cassis to disguise the harvest inferiority.
Whatever his motivation, kir has now become an apéro mainstay in France, along with the southern inspired Pastis de Marseille.
☞ READ MORE: Easy Guide to the French Wines
Now white wine may be for the peasants, and so we have a Kir Royale. With champagne instead of white wine. These days sparkling wine or proscecco are just as likely to be used, as no one wants to open a full bottle of expensive champagne just to make a kir.
(In case you were wondering, the bellini cocktail combining orange juice and champagne is quite sacrilegious in France.)
If you have ever heard of Chambord Royale and wondering what that is, it is a variation of the classic Kir Royale. Instead of crème de cassis and champagne, the Kir Royale Chambord uses Chambord black raspberry Liqueur in place of creme de cassis.
Chambord is a liqueur developed in the Loire Valley during the late 17th century. It is said to have been introduced to the Sun King Louis XIV (of Palais de Versailles fame) during one of his visits to one of his many country houses, the incredible Château de Chambord near Blois in the Loire valley.
Because of its royal roots, the Kir Royale Chambord is sometimes called the Kir Impérial and mixed with champagne. The liquor itself is made with a cognac base, raspberries, blackberries, Madagascan vanilla, honey and citrus.
King Louis was, of course, never served a Kir Royale Chambord (as far as I can tell anyway) since that was invented later, but I presume he had some version of a French Martini or Raspberry Diaquiri which also uses Chambord.
These days Kir Royale Chambord is mixed with champagne or a type of crémant sparkling wine from the Loire Valley. You can read more about champagnes and crémants here.
There are a lot of other variations of kir as well, using different liquers. The most common flavors you will find across France are:
However, there are more “exotic” ones that are not widely available and are usually only served locally such as:
So for example, if you are Brittany, you may find Kir Breton on the menu. But don’t expect to find it in Provence!
Other kirs like the tarantino will only be found in cocktail bars and other high-end restaurants, rather than your local French brasserie.
If you enjoyed that, check out our other classic French apéritifs that are easy to prepare. À bientôt!
UPDATE: This Kir Royale recipe is in memory of Jean-Marie Boegle, a doctor in France who died due to COVID-19 on 22 March 2020. He introduced me to Kir Royales when we stayed at a guesthouse owned by him and his wife in Burgundy in 2019. One of the most amazing holiday weeks I’ve ever had in my life, filled with so much laughter, we remained in touch even after we left.
Jean-Marie was a Healthcare Hero who made the ultimate sacrifice, putting himself at risk to care for others. We will never forget him.
You’ll find this champagne cocktail as a pre dinner drink on the menu of bistros and restaurants all across France. It’s a terrific celebratory way to kick off a meal – fizzy, sparkling, sweet, and who can resist the colour!
From a practical perspective, it’s a great way to dress up economical champagne. The creme de cassis is sweet and has a concentrated blackcurrant flavour which will disguise even the cheapest of champagnes!
* Technically, sparkling wines can only be called “champagne” if they are made in the Champagne region of France. They tend to be pricier. But the term “champagne” is used quite loosely in reference to both “real” Champagne as well as sparkling wine.
Creme de cassis first, then top it up with champers! Some might due it the other way round, but this is the order that Jean-Marie taught me to make it – and I will never diverge from it!
Kir Royales will go with everything – from dips to crostini, a baked brie to Thai Fish Cakes. Have a browse through Party Food and Finger Food – and here are a few suggestions:
If you’re having these as a pre dinner cocktail, you’d be right on theme serving them alongside Gougeres which are French cheese puffs. In fact, that’s exactly what we were served by our host when we stayed in a B&B in Burgundy called La Saura a couple of months ago! – Nagi x
Are you a Kir Royal/Kir addict like me? I was introduced to the delicious cocktail by my sophisticated Mother when I was of legal drinking age. I'd ask her "Mom, why does this cocktail taste like it was made by the gods" and she was like "Darling, it's the creme de cassis. But of course."
The creme de cas-what? I had no idea what she was talking about, and after some google research I learned that creme de cassis is the magical liquor, made of black currants that gives the kir it's royal hue and delectable flavor. I started drinking kirs in college, with a big old bottle of black currant liquor on my desk. However, there was really no great brand of cassis that was sold in the US, until NOW. *elegant fist pump* Lejay cassis (the inventors of creme de cassis, they started making it in 1841, five years before T&C was founded), is the ORIGINAL cassis. Here are a few fun facts about the brand:
The Kir is named after its jovial French creator, Lejay connoisseur Canon Felix Kir (who was also the mayor of Dijon) invented the first cassis cocktail, the Kir, made with white wine, and the Kir Royal, made with champagne.
The local wine of Dijon, white Burgundy + Lejay Cassis.
In Chanel no. 5.
The centuries-old recipe consists of fruits de Cassis, eaude vie (fruit brandy), natural spring water, refined pure sugar, and lastly, infusedwith the family's secret ingredient, "bourgeon de Cassis," or the buds of the cassis fruit. This subtle enhancement results in a clean, berry nose and citrus accents of grapefruit and lemon zest.
To make your OWN kir royal:
1 oz Lejay Cassis
4 oz Champagne
Pour Lejay in a chilled flute, top with Champagne. Et voila! Santé!
Lejay Crème de Cassis can be found at fineliquor stores, bars and restaurants around New York City and Boston.
Kir Royale French champagne cocktail is a classy drink made with creme de cassis, a black currant liqueur. This classic French cocktail is a perfect drink to serve on special occasions like Valentine's day, Mother's day, a baby shower, New Year's eve, or Easter!
This recipe was inspired by my summer of living in Europe in 2021. We flew in and out of Paris and spent some time there. I saw the red drink a few times and never knew what it was until I recently started reading up on cocktails.
Check out these delicious cocktail recipes with some Thai and Asian twists. Empress gin with lavender syrup cocktail. Japanese Roku gin with Orange blossom. Also, check out this delicious Coconut lime mojito with a Thai twist. All so tasty!
The Kir Royale is a classy French cocktail made with black currant liqueur and topped with champagne. It's a sweet, fruity bubbly cocktail that tastes like a light berry-flavored wine cooler. But more fancy and tasty!
Kir Royale is a slight variation of another French drink, the Kir, a blackcurrant drink mixed with white wine.
Cassis "Ka-Sees" in French means blackcurrant, referring to the sweet blackcurrant berries used as the main ingredient in the French liqueur.
Did you know that champagne and sparkling wine are the same things? The only difference is tied up in the legality of the location where the alcohol was produced. According to EU law, only champagne produced within 100 miles radius of Champagne, France, a city in the Burgundy region of France, can be legally called Champagne. By law, champagne made outside of that parameters must be called Sparkling wine. Interesting.
Step 1. Pour creme de cassis over champagne glasses. This recipe uses ½ oz creme de cassis and 3-4 oz of champagne. Use more for a stronger flavor!
Step 2. Add champagne to the glass, garnish with your favorite fresh berries, and serve. That's it! So easy, right?
