Cooling Off with Kir

The sun was shining yesterday and suddenly I had a hankering for Kir—that summertime apéritif I drank back in art school when I mistook myself for a femme du monde.

This light, refreshing drink—a mixture of blackcurrant liqueur (Crème de Cassis) and dry white wine was originally called vin blanc cassis in Burgundy, France, where blackcurrants grow in abundance and there is never a shortage of dry white wine.

After World War II, Kir became associated with Canon Felix Kir, a Catholic priest turned resistance fighter who, as mayor of Dijon for some twenty odd years, made it the only drink served at official receptions.

The original cocktail used the lesser white wine of the region, Bourgogne Aligoté. Back in the day I used my mother’s cheap jug wine, which should have been my first clue that I was no sophisticate. A very dry white with good acidity will work just fine.

After reading several recipes online I came up with this hybrid from www.drinksmixer.com and my own memory of how to make Kir. For a more festive version called Kir Royale, use sparkling wine.

1 tbsp Crème de Cassis (more if you like it sweeter)
6 oz of dry white wine
2-3 ice cubes (optional)
1 twist lemon peel (I don’t remember this, but it sounds so chic)

Pour the Crème de Cassis into the bottom of a wine glass then add the wine. Don’t stir it up but if you are using ice cubes you can add them now. Twist the lemon peel to release the oil and drop it into the glass.

Sit outside on a sunny day, sipping slowly as you turn the pages of your favorite novel.

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Tags: summer | wine | recipe | Kir

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