This 2-ingredient cocktail’s sophistication comes from pure simplicity

During the early 2000s craft cocktail movement, many classic cocktails once lost to history were resurrected by trendsetting bartenders. Some made welcome returns, like the Corpse Reviver No. 2; others turned out to be more notorious than delicious (anyone fancy a Monkey Gland?).

But some classics have been with us all along, their popularity ebbing and flowing with the whims of restaurant culture. Near the beginnings of our respective careers, we were separately introduced to one such cocktail that seemed like the height of sophistication to young, budding industry professionals.

The recipe is simple and it involves both spirits and wine, making it the perfect drink to examine through the lens of Distilled & Fermented. The aperitif-style cocktail was originally called a blanc-cassis, but we know it better as a Kir.

History of the Kir cocktail

With only two ingredients — cassis liqueur and dry white wine — a Kir is deceptively simple, like the French omelet at Buckhead’s Lucian Books & Wine (one of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s 50 best restaurants of 2025).

The drink took its name from one Felix Kir, the mayor of Dijon, France, capital of the Burgundy region. Kir promoted the drink to visiting dignitaries because it highlighted two of the region’s fine products: cassis, made from black currants, and white wine, originally from aligoté grapes.

Kir’s mayoral tenure was during the aftermath of World War II and, like a lot of great things, the Kir cocktail was born out of necessity; most of the region’s red wines had been confiscated by the Germans.

How to make a Kir cocktail

The Kir recipe is simple, but the details will make a difference. To start, make sure your wine is very chilled. Some French bistros claim to chill the glass as well, something to consider if you have the refrigerator space. Next, be sure to choose high-quality ingredients, like one of the cassis options below, along with a white wine you would enjoy on its own.

Building the cocktail could not be easier: Pour the cassis into a wine glass, then top it with the white wine. The traditional recipe calls for 1 ounce of cassis to 5 ounces of wine, but more modern tastes tend to reduce the liqueur to half an ounce.

Such simplicity invites variation, so we would be remiss to not mention the Kir’s fancy sibling, the Kir royale. Simply substitute the still wine for Champagne or another sparkling option. And lastly, we add a lemon peel garnish after expressing its oils over the surface of the drink. This doesn’t get mentioned in most recipe books, but it was the way we were both taught and we find it delightful.

Now is a great time of year to try a Kir with a great variety of cassis to choose from. Here are our favorites.

The Kir royale (far left) substitutes white wine for Champagne. (Jerry & Krista Slater for the AJC)

Giffard Cassis Noir de Bourgogne

This is a classic cassis, the richest in texture and also the sweetest, with a concentrated berry flavor profile. Giffard has been producing fruit liqueurs in the Loire Valley since the late-19th century. The have a few currant liqueurs in their lineup, but this one is produced, as the name implies, from an older variety from Burgundy, the birthplace of French cassis. Vivid in color but all-natural, this makes the most traditional Kir.