Kir Royale

This festive champagne cocktail combines the bite of dry champagne with the sweet, dark flavor of crème de cassis. A classic kir royal is the perfect dash of flavor and color for any party or celebration!

This post contains affiliate links. Read the disclosure policy.

About Kir Royale

Champagne is a staple for any celebration, but if you’re searching for an extra dose of color and flavor for your next party, look no further than the kir royale.

With its pop of red color, this easy champagne cocktail is a crowd-pleasing addition to any drink lineup.

What makes up a kir royale?

Making a kir royale very easy, as there are only two main ingredients:

1 – A chilled dry champagne (or dry sparkling white wine).

You don’t need to be too choosy when picking some bubbly, but you do want to make sure that whatever you pick is not sweet. Like many champagne cocktails, the purpose of the kir royale is to mix some sweetness into the drink, so it’s best to start off with a champagne that has a dry or sharp flavor. If you need some help picking the right champagne, check out this list for finding the best one on any budget. As for me, I like to use Schramsberg Cremant.

2 – Crème de cassis.

This gem of a liqueur is made from blackcurrants and has a sweet, dark flavor. It’s a popular choice for many cocktails due to its flavor and the deep reddish hue.

Chambord is sometimes used in place of crème de cassis because of the similar look and taste, but using Chambord means the drink is no longer a kir royale – it becomes a Chambord kir royale. Chambord is a raspberry liqueur, and while it has a similar in look and taste to crème de cassis, the difference is still significant enough that fans of a traditional kir royale will know the difference.

3 – Garnishes (optional)

This champagne cocktail is beautiful on its own, but you can also garnish it with a lemon twist or fresh (or frozen!) raspberries.

And, really, who doesn’t like a little fruit salad with their cocktail?

What does a kir royale taste like?

If you’re using a dry champagne and the traditional crème de cassis, the flavor is a perfect combination of bubbly bite and fruity sweetness. If you’re a fan of raspberries or blackcurrants, you’ll appreciate the flavor profile of this drink.

When pouring this drink, the proper ratio is 1/5 crème de cassis to 4/5 champagne. However, I highly encourage you to experiment with the ratios to get the sweetness (or bite!) that you like.

how to measure this drink

This cocktail is written like a standard drink recipe, meaning that instead of an exact measurement (ex: 1 cup) the recipe will read “1 part.”

I know this can be a little confusing at first, but I’ve found the best way to think of it as this: Recipes that measure in parts usually mean it’s written so that you can adjust the size of the drink to whatever you want but keep the ratio of the ingredients correct at the same time.

For example, let’s say you wanted to make one drink – this typically means you’re using 1 standard shot glass for measuring. So then when the recipe says “1 part” you would interpret that amount as “1 standard shot glass” full. If the recipe says “1/2 part” you’d fill the shot glass half way so that it’s “1/2 standard shot glass.” OR, let’s say you wanted to make enough drinks for a few friends. When making the drink you could interpret “1 part” as “1 cup” (or “1/2 part” to “1/2 cup.”)

This way the drink will taste the same no matter what size you make it.

notes & tips for this kir royale cocktail

• As mentioned above, this recipe can be made with crème de cassis or Chambord. However, if making it with Chambord, give your guests a heads up – the taste is slightly different and fans of this cocktail will know!
• Like the glasses pictured in this post? I found them at a discount store ages ago, but this set of champagne flute glasses with silver designs is similar and has a few other designs as well.