Kir Royal is a cocktail with history. Recipe, composition and subtleties of preparation. Kir - a cocktail invented by a priest Variations of the Kir Royal cocktail

The Kir Royale cocktail is a sophisticated Burgundian aperitif with low strength and a soft, unusual taste. This reddish, sparkling alcoholic duo consists of only two components, but has dozens of variations.

Historical sketch

The birthplace of the Kir cocktail is the French city of Dijon. At the height of World War II, in the absence of red wines, an enterprising priest (and part-time mayor of the city) Felix Cyrus proposed mixing dry white wines left by the Nazis with. He entertained the “newly minted” staff of representatives of all delegations visiting the city. The effect was unexpectedly wonderful and already in 1952 the name “Cyr” was patented by the local manufacturer of Crema de Cassis, Rogero Damidot.

I wonder if the priest guessed that his name would become part of Russian slang as a synonym for alcohol abuse (“kiryat”)?

Kir Royal appeared a little later, when the French recovered from the hardships of the German occupation and began to pour champagne into glasses with blackcurrant liqueur instead of the cheaper Aligote.

Cocktail features

The popular berry mix did not pass by the International Bartenders Association. The Kir cocktail is on her list as a modern drink. It’s easy to mix, even when guests arrive unexpectedly.

To make the Kir cocktail perfect, refreshing and invigorating, you don’t need much:

• liqueur is poured into the glass before the wine, and it should not account for more than 10% of the total volume of the cocktail (however, sometimes it is added as a fifth or even a third);
• the glass for serving and the wine must be chilled, the liqueur should not be (it is better when it sits on the table first and becomes more liquid);
• the classic drink is prepared from a dry wine such as Aligote, but a less acidic Chardonnay, as well as wines labeled Brut, will play well in it (a creative approach allows you to mix the traditional Crème de Cassis with red wines, champagne, cider or beer);
• blackcurrant liqueur should be high-quality, natural, possibly homemade (liqueurs made from blackberries, raspberries, and peach are no less tasty).

Mixing method - build - with a cocktail spoon directly in the glass. Decorate the Kir with berries or a mint leaf.

Ice is not added to the glass with Cyrus!

Drink Kir Royal before meals, in small sips; served in a champagne glass (flute). An appetizer is usually not required, but you can still offer guests a selection of cheese and fruit.

Cocktail recipe Kir

This version of the drink is considered a classic. It was she who was included in the IBA list.

Take:

• 90 ml dry white wine;
• 10 ml Creme de Cassis liqueur.

The proportions can be changed as desired by adding 20, 30 or even 40% liquor. The amount of wine should vary according to the recipe.

Next, we proceed as follows: pour blackcurrant liqueur into a tall, thin-walled wine glass (not necessarily crystal), and wine on top. Stir carefully with a bar spoon.

Types and varieties

The simplicity of Kira's ingredients allowed for the creation of numerous versions of the cocktail. All of them involve substitutions of one of the ingredients. Perhaps some of them will seem more interesting to you than the main version.

Attention! Each name of the cocktails below contains the prefix “Kir” (Kir Royal), but in order not to repeat it again and again we have given only the second part of the name.

White wine can be replaced:

• champagne - Kir Royal;
• sparkling wine - Pétillant;
• vodka - Korn;
• and , taken 1k1 - Cidre Royal;
• cider - Breton/Normand;
• dry red – Communard;
• sweet red - Cardinal Royal;
• light ale/ — Tarantino/Bière;
• white vermouth (sweet) - Bianco;
• milk - Pink Russian.

Try replacing Creme de Cassis liqueur:

• blackberry - Berrichon;
• raspberry - Impérial;
• grapefruit - Pamplemousse;
• peach – Pêche.
• raspberry and peach (in equal parts) - Hibiscus Royal;

In addition, you can use other fruit liqueurs - strawberry, cherry, blueberry, orange, cranberry, lemon, etc.

Variations with various liqueurs become royal (Kir Royal), if they are based not on wine, but on champagne. At the same time, “Sovetskoe” is not the best choice; French “bruts” sound much more interesting in the drink.

Connoisseurs of French sophistication and refined taste in drinks should definitely try “Kir Royal” on some occasion - a cocktail that has absorbed all the grace of the country of fashion and wine. Not particularly strong and with an excellent taste, it will appeal to both ladies and men who are not inclined to get drunk (at least, too quickly). This cocktail will be great for light, not very formal celebrations - weddings or New Year. For anniversaries, especially for those “for whom ...” it has a too light and not solemn “character”.

The heroic story of the prototype

“Kir Royal” is a cocktail that has become a kind of heir to the drink famous throughout France. The original owes its appearance to Felix Kier, who was ordained in 1901 and served as a priest in the parish until Nazi Germany occupied his homeland. Cyrus did not stand aside, like many of his clergy colleagues. He became an active participant in the French Resistance and helped a lot in organizing the escape of 5 thousand people imprisoned in the Longvik concentration camp. The Gestapo identified him, caught him, and the padre had to be executed. He escaped death only thanks to his rank.

After the war, the brave priest became a knight of the Legion of Honor, the highest award in France. And at the same time he received the post of mayor of his hometown, Dijon. Its economy was in complete decline, and there were no funds to restore it. In addition, the red currant plantations for which the province was famous were destroyed, and the white wine produced here was considered completely ordinary. To fill the city treasury, the mayor came up with a cocktail of wine and blackcurrant, which, having gained popularity, received his last name as a name.

The appearance of the “Royal” version

With the post-war disasters largely overcome, the economy restored and store shelves stocked, the Kir Royal, a cocktail that replaced regular wine with sparkling wine, quietly and gradually began to gain popularity. They say that the first step in this direction was taken by winemakers from Italy, who promoted quickly made sparkling wines to the masses.

In France, to this day, restaurants accept orders for both the Kir and Kir Royale options. The cocktail will be served to you in any case, only the waiter will clarify which version you are interested in. Moreover, the clarification may concern both components of the drink.

"Kir Royal", cocktail: recipe and preparation

One of the advantages of the famous drink is the simplicity of its composition, the combination of its components into a single whole and its presentation. No special bartending techniques or special equipment. Blackcurrant liqueur - preferably French Creme de Cassis - and dry champagne are combined in a glass. Everything is carefully mixed and served - without straws or any decorations. Unless you can attach a fresh berry to the edge.

The only thing that may puzzle the Kir Royal cocktail is its composition. In the original recipe, the wine was combined in a ratio of 9:1. However, now you can be served a cocktail with proportions of 4:1 or even 3:1. However, this is not considered a crime against taste. The volume fraction of liqueur makes the cocktail sweeter, so such variations are usually preferred by ladies and those with a sweet tooth.

Some nuances

Despite the simplicity of preparation and the small number of components, some subtleties are worth considering if you want to enjoy the cocktail to the fullest.

Firstly, there is no ice in the glass and cannot be introduced categorically. And white wine tastes better chilled. So before preparing the drink, you need to cool both the bottle and the glass. You can add ice cubes to the latter for this purpose, but you must wipe it carefully before using it.

Secondly, the order of association. In principle, it doesn’t seem to matter what you pour first. However, liqueur is thicker than wine, and if it is placed first in the glass, you will have to put more effort into stirring. In this case, the champagne will lose a significant part of its “bubbliness”.

Thirdly, when preparing it yourself, you shouldn’t be upset if you don’t have Creme de Cassis or its equivalent on hand. Although the French, without losing the name of the cocktail, change blackcurrant liqueur only to peach or blackberry, it is quite acceptable to use any berry liqueur. The Kir Royal (cocktail) with raspberry, cherry or strawberry liqueurs is especially approved.

Kir Royal is one of my favorite cocktails, with which I have already seduced many, many of my friends (and friends’ spouses). When I go to Russia, I try to bring Aperol and creme de cassis with me. And there’s always something to dilute! And we have such emotional gatherings that we just want to repeat them every time...

If we talk about the reputation of the Cyrus Royal cocktail, then it was reserved for itself by the glamorous high society. Well, not the old aristocracy, but all sorts of popular artists, singers, newly rich people... It’s not that my friends and I belong to these circles - I just wanted to say that the fame and target audience of Kir Royal are better than, say, at Long Island Ice Tea. In a decent society it is quite possible to serve it.

New Year is a holiday for which Cyrus Royale is especially easy to prepare. Because there is no New Year without champagne - and Kira Royale cannot exist without it either. Simple Kir - sometimes it’s on dry white. And the royal one, for pianos, is on sparkling wine (You and I won’t stick straight to champagne from Champagne, right? Everyone will choose for themselves the sparkling wine that is available to them and that they like).

And crème de cassis is a popular blackcurrant liqueur from the French city of Dijon. Honestly, I don’t know how popular it was before the appearance of the Kir cocktail, but over the six decades of its existence, this drink has made the liqueur crème de cassis famous far beyond the borders of its homeland.

The liqueur that I use is, as you can see, the same one from Dijon. Its strength is 18%. I am often asked if it is possible to make a Kir Royal cocktail with homemade blackcurrant liqueur. To be honest, I haven’t tried it myself, but I admit that it is possible if your homemade liqueur is very soft, without the slightest feeling of strong alcohol, with a sort of taste of currant fortified wine. There is one in the bins - try it, I think it will work out well too.

If the temperature of the wine for the Kir piano cocktail does not play a special role, then the sparkling wine for the Kir royal cocktail is cooled to the temperature recommended on the bottle.

The Kir Royal cocktail is served in champagne glasses. In cup-shaped or flutes - it makes no difference, both are allowed.

Champagne and sweet liqueur have a big difference in density. Therefore, if you pour crème de cassis into champagne, then at the first moment a slight layering effect appears in the glass, as in Sunrise tequila. If you do the opposite (pouring champagne into liqueur), the mixing occurs better. I think everyone will have to choose for themselves what they like best. There is no single methodology.

The Kir Royal cocktail does not have a strict ratio of ingredients. The proportion of liquor can range from 30 to 70%. What you see with me is with a minimum. With a large quantity of cocktail Kir Royale will be cherry red.

You've probably tried the Kir cocktail. Tastes nice, doesn't it? And it's easy to prepare. Although this drink is distinguished by its nobility, it seems to me that it lacks solemnity. What's the problem - "Kir Royal" with champagne instead of dry white wine to transform a boring social event into a royal party!

Kir Royal cocktail ingredients:

• Champagne (Burgundy) – 100 ml
• Currant liqueur Creme de Cassis – 20 ml

The process of preparing the Kir Royal cocktail:

The Kir Royal cocktail is prepared using the build method. Pour blackcurrant liqueur into the bottom of a pre-chilled champagne flute. Then pour the champagne to the top.

Kir-Royal should be consumed exclusively before meals. No side dish!

Cocktail glassware: Champagne stemware (flute)

Interesting Facts:

The creator of the “kirov” is a Burgundian priest. It was he who, several centuries ago, came up with the idea of ​​mixing local Aligote wine with blackcurrant liqueur. Drinking a glass of this amazing mixture, he never had any health problems and lived long enough. "Cyrus" is the name of a priest.

In the Kir family cocktails, currant liqueur always remains a constant component, but the wine can vary. For example, the classic one is prepared with dry white Burgundy, “Kir Cardinal” (or simply “Cardinal”) - with red Burgundy.

There should definitely be more wine (in this case champagne). The most common proportions are 5 to 1 and 9 to 1. Brut or Brut extra champagne is suitable.

Some bars serve the Kir Royal cocktail, prepared using the stir method.

It is reliably known that blackcurrant liqueur was used by French monks to treat bile spills.