About the kir ...
The fruity French apéritif
Every Francophile who enjoys the good life knows there is nothing as exciting as eating out in France. The entire experience – from choosing a restaurant and reserving a table, to that last sip of a strong café or digestif – is a wonderful pleasure I always look forward to as soon as I set foot in the country. Eating out in France means doing as the French, and that is certainly no punishment. A three-course lunch washed down with a carafe of local wine can be an immensely sensual gourmet experience and is such a welcome change to the sandwiches or salads most of us usually have at our desks.
One of the first decisions I need to make at a restaurant is which apéritif to choose. An aromatic Pastis? A hip rosé pamplemousse? A sparkling glass of chilled Champagne? A refreshing Lillet? Nine times out of ten, however, I will choose a kir, a specialty from Bourgogne, which after Pastis, is one of the most popular apéritifs in France.
Traditionally made with one-third blackcurrant liqueur (crème de cassis) and two-thirds of the somewhat acidic Aligoté wine, the fruity drink was already enjoyed in the 19th century but only received its official name in 1952. Until that time it was called ‘blanc-cassis’.
We can thank Félix Kir for giving the drink its name. Monsieur Kir was not only a priest and a Resistance hero who helped thousands of prisoners escape during the Second World War, but he was also the mayor of Dijon from 1945 to 1968. During his time in office, he often received visitors to the ‘mairie’ with a blanc-cassis, probably as a clever way to promote one of the specialties of the city: crème de cassis. The thick, aromatic and dark-purple liqueur was first made in the Burgundian capital in 1841 by Lejay-Lagoute. The liqueur became quite popular. So much so, that there were approximately eighty producers at the beginning of the 20th century. Unfortunately, that changed during the occupation when people were spending less time at cafés. After the war, however, thanks to Monsieur Kir and Lejay-Lagoute (who named the drink after him), its popularity shot back up again.
The best thing about a kir is that you can drink it in myriad ways. For example, as a kir pêche (with peach liqueur) or a kir mûre (with blackberry liqueur), but also as a sparkling kir royale with Champagne or Crémant de Bourgogne. And you can even enjoy it as a kir cardinal (crème de cassis with red wine) or as a regional varieties such as the Kir Médocain (with rosé from Médoc), Kir Ardéchois (white wine with chestnut liqueur) or a Kir Breton (with crème de cassis, Calvados and cider). Therefore, always expect to be asked what kind of kir you would like! There are enough choices. I am quite partial to drinking my kir the traditional way.
If you are ever in Bourgogne, do treat yourself to a bottle of crème de cassis. To make your own kir at home, but also to use in cooking. You can add a little to your sauces, onion confits, fruit-based desserts, stewed pears and even chocolate cake. But I must be honest: a kir will always taste best in France, at the beginning of a meal in a restaurant or as a fragrant refreshment at a terrace on a warm summer day. Tchin-Tchin!
Before you go …
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