Kir

Kir

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Kir is a popular French cocktail made with a measure of crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) topped up with white wine. In France it is usually drunk as an apéritif before a meal or snack. It was originally made with Bourgogne Aligoté,[1] a white wine of Burgundy. Now, various white wines are used throughout France, according to the region and the whim of the barkeeper. Many prefer a white Chardonnay-based Burgundy, such as Chablis. It used to be called blanc-cassis, but it is now named after Félix Kir (1876–1968), mayor of Dijon in Burgundy. Kir was a pioneer of the twinning movement in the aftermath of the Second World War, and popularized the drink by offering it at receptions to visiting delegations. Besides treating his international guests well, he was also promoting two economic products of the region. Kir allowed one of Dijon’s producers of crème de cassis to use his name, then extended the right to their competitors as well. According to Rolland (2004),[2] the reinvention of blanc-cassis (post 1945) was necessitated by the German Army’s confiscation of all the local red Burgundy during the war. Faced with an excess of white wine, Kir renovated a drink that used to be made primarily with the red.