Kir Royal, sipped in the Emily in Paris series, instantly became a trend drink.
In the series, the main character’s colleague Luc (right) enlightens Emily about the contents of the Kir Royal drink. NETFLIX, STÉPHANIE BRANCHU/NETFLIX
Kir Royal may be the new Aperol Spritz. That’s how we talk already on international food websites and on Twitter after Netflix released a new season of the highly popular Emily in Paris series just before Christmas.
In the third episode of the season, Emily, who moved to Paris, tastes Kir Royal for the first time and immediately falls in love with its taste. The red-tinged drink is also sipped in later episodes in the series, which has made social media hot. The drink is predicted to be the drink hit of the year.
Kir Royal is a version of a drink called Kir. The drink has its roots in Burgundy, France, where the drink was originally known as blanc-cassis. Kir contains white wine and blackcurrant liqueur.
– The drink was born in the aftermath of the commercial launch of creme de Cassis liqueur in the 1840s. The liqueur was born in the province of Dijon, and blanc-cassis was a popular drink in Dijon cafes in the latter half of the 19th century, says the top bartender, Anora’s global brand ambassador Mikael Karttunen.
– After the Second World War, a French war hero Felix Kir was elected mayor of Dijon and revived the blanc-cassis drink by serving it to his guests. Gradually, the drink began to be called by the host’s name.
Kir Royal is a version where the white wine is replaced by sparkling wine or champagne. Here’s how to make a drink at home:
Kir Royal
1 part blackcurrant liqueur (originally Crème de Cassis de Dijon liqueur)
9 parts champagne or sparkling wine
1. Pour frozen blackcurrant liqueur into a glass.
2. Fill the glass with chilled sparkling wine or champagne and stir gently.