Creme De Cassis
A sweet, deep-purple liqueur made from blackcurrants - the key ingredient in a Kir cocktail.
Origin
Dijon, Burgundy, France, first marketed in 1841 by Auguste-Denis Lagoute under the Lejay-Lagoute label.
History
Creme de cassis was created and first sold in 1841 in Dijon, made from black currants grown in the vineyards around the city, and it became closely tied to Burgundian identity, protected today by a geographic indication requiring "Creme de Cassis de Dijon" to use locally grown berries. Its best-known cocktail role is the Kir, made with white wine, popularized by Felix Kir, Dijon's mayor from 1945 until 1968, who granted exclusive rights to use his name for the drink to Lejay in 1951 - the Kir Royal (with Champagne instead of still wine) is the more festive variation.
Flavor profile
Deep, tart-sweet black currant flavor, rich and slightly wine-like given its fruit-liqueur base.
Tasting notes
Intensely dark berry flavor with real tartness balancing its sweetness, adding both a distinctive fruit character and a deep purple-red color, most iconic stirred into white wine for a Kir or Champagne for a Kir Royal.
Substitutes
- Blackcurrant cordial, for a non-alcoholic substitute with a similar flavor, understanding it lacks cassis's wine-like depth.
- Chambord (black raspberry liqueur), for a related but distinctly different dark berry liqueur.
- Creme de mure (blackberry liqueur), for a different but comparably deep, dark-berry substitute.
