Today in our wine cocktail section we present you one of the most popular French cocktails: the kir
One day in 1904, in a bar in Dijon (France), a waiter had the idea to improve an ordinary white wine by adding blackcurrant cream. Henri Barabant, mayor of Dijon from 1904 to 1908, was so seduced by this new aperitif that he introduced it at the receptions of the town hall. The deputy mayor Kir, it is said, drank nothing but this cocktail at the bar of the National Assembly. On November 20, 1951, he gave to Lejay-Lagoute the exclusive right to use his name to name his favorite cocktail. And the white wine-blackcurrant became the Kir! So, in 1952, the liquorist registered the brand Un Kir.
The kir is originally composed of blackcurrant cream and dry white wine. Later on, the Kir, a trademark registered by the Lejay-Lagoute company, will refer to a recipe:
– one third of blackcurrant cream from Dijon
– two thirds of burgundy-aligoté.
Lejay-Lagoute will also register the brand Kir royal: blackcurrant cream and Crémant from Burgundy.
But with the success comes the time of variants and each French region customizes it to promote its own regional products.
– Cardinal : red wine from Bordeaux
– Kir médocain : rosé wine from Médoc
– Kir breton : cider
…
Today, the kir multiplies the flavors: blackberry, raspberry, peach, violet… or fig and grapefruit.
You might l have grasped that the kir lets your creativity speak!
Enjoy it !
