Kir Royal Cocktail Recipe
Champagne over a measure of blackcurrant liqueur — the Kir with the white wine replaced.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Flute glass
- ABV: 11%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Crème de cassis15 ml (0.5 oz)
- Champagne120 ml (4.1 oz)
How to Make It
- Pour the cassis into the bottom of a chilled flute.
- Top slowly with cold champagne.
- Do not stir — it mixes as it is poured.
- Serve immediately.
Garnish
None
What it tastes like
Fruit notes come forward and it is carbonated.
The technique
Built in the glass. Ice goes into the serving glass, the ingredients go on top, and you stir once if at all. Anything carbonated goes in LAST and never gets stirred; every turn of the spoon costs you bubbles. Fill the glass to the rim with ice: less ice melts faster, not slower.
Glass and ice
A narrow, tall flute. The slim opening is what keeps sparkling wine fizzing longest: there is very little surface for the bubbles to escape from.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Champagne
- Sparkling wine from the Champagne region. Cocktails call for brut; demi-sec noticeably sweetens the drink and makes the recipe's syrup redundant.
The Story
Named for Félix Kir, the priest and mayor of Dijon who served the wine version at every civic reception to promote Burgundian cassis.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Kir Royal mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a flute.
- How strong is a Kir Royal?
- Roughly 11% ABV as served — right around a glass of wine — an aperitif or an early-evening drink.
- Can a Kir Royal be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Kir Royal hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.