Kir Royale Cocktail 2 Ingredients

Why We Love This Kir Royale Cocktail Recipe

Ok, so you can tell just by looking at the first image here that you’re in for a fabulous drink recipe… If a champagne flute is involved, you know this cocktail is sure to impress! But impressive doesn’t have to mean complicated. Case in point: This classic Kir Royale recipe is a French cocktail based on the original Kir cocktail, which is a traditional aperitive that combines just crème de cassis and white wine. Our Kir Royale recipe includes crème de cassis and champagne for a more elevated drink that still requires only 2 ingredients. This simple cocktail combines a splash of black currant liqueur with your favorite chilled bubbly. Then you can either serve it as-is or garnish it with fresh berries, mint sprigs, or even a lemon twist! However you dress them up, these drinks are perfect for cheers-ing at fall and winter dinner parties, special occasions, and holiday brunches.

Ingredients You Need

Crème de Cassis – This liqueur is made with black currents. It has a dark rustic sweet flavor that nicely balances dry champagne. Champagne – A quality dry champagne is perfect to enhance the sweetness of the black currents and other fruity elements. Other Fruity Add-ins – Consider including a fresh element to make the Kir Royale flavors really sing! Here are a few ideas we love:

Lemon twist Dried black currants Fresh raspberries Fresh blackberries Mint leaves Rosemary sprigs

How to Make a Kir Royale Cocktail

Recipe Variations

Here we are making a bubbly Kir Royale with authentic champagne from France. But you can make this an old-school Kir drink by using a dry white wine, like Aligoté or chardonnay, instead. You can substitute champagne with prosecco, cava, or other sparkling white wine. Make a more rustic, “unstuffy” Kir Normand drink with hard cider instead of champagne. You can do this with any flavor of cider from any number of fruits… Apple, pear, and berry ciders are all delicious with the crème de cassis. We love the tart flavor of black currents in crème de cassis. However, feel free to change things up and try this cocktail recipe with another fruit alcohol like Chambord (raspberry liqueur), pomegranate liqueur, or peach liqueur.

What to Serve with a Kir Royale

These bold, fruity cocktails are delicious for brunch… They’re along the same lines as a mimosa, but have more full-bodied flavor! Pair them with any of these fabulous weekend-worthy dishes:

Eggs Benedict Casserole Deep Dish Vegetarian Quiche French Crepes Strata (Overnight Casserole) Cream Cheese Danishes Raspberry Sweet Buns

Kir Royale cocktails are also a terrific pre-dinner appertif or cocktail party drink. Serve them with snazzy appetizers like:

Baked Camembert Sweet n’ Spicy Chicken Lollipop Clams Casino Cranberry Brie Bites Pomegranate Cheese Ball