Crème de Cassis
Blackcurrant liqueur from Burgundy, and the sweetest category in the crème family: the rules set a higher sugar minimum for cassis than for any other. That is why it is measured in small pours and why it dominates anything given a free hand.
Quick Facts
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Intense blackcurrant aroma with deep berry sweetness, subtle tartness, and a rich, rounded finish. Full-bodied without heaviness when used correctly.
Recommended Brands
Budget Choice
Giffard Crème de Cassis Impérial: blackcurrant enough for a Kir
Premium Choice
Briottet Crème de Cassis de Dijon: the Dijon original, thicker and more concentrated
Storage & Handling
Store upright in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Ensure the cap is tightly sealed after use. Shelf-stable once opened.
Shelf Life
Unopened: Indefinite. Opened: Several years if stored correctly
Usage
Poured at 10ml to 15ml, or a splash in the bottom of a glass before wine is added. It sweetens, colours and flavours in one measure, so the drink it goes into should be dry enough to take all three.
The Sugar Floor Is Higher
A crème in European liqueur law has to reach a minimum sugar content, and cassis has its own threshold set considerably above the general one. That is a legal definition rather than a house style, so every bottle carrying the name is sweet by requirement. It explains the pouring discipline the ingredient demands: measured in 10ml or 15ml rather than free-poured, and always into something with the acidity or dryness to absorb it. Treated as an ordinary fruit liqueur it will flatten whatever it is put in.
Canon Kir
The Kir is named after Félix Kir, a Catholic priest and Resistance figure who became mayor of Dijon after the war and promoted the local combination of Burgundian aligoté with the local blackcurrant liqueur. The politics matter to the drink: aligoté is a sharp, thin white that benefits considerably from sweetening, and cassis was a Dijon industry worth supporting. It was a piece of regional advocacy that turned into a standard, which is a better provenance than most aperitifs can claim.
The Ratio Has Moved
The traditional Kir ran at roughly one part cassis to four or five of wine, which reads as extremely sweet to a modern palate and reflects both the sharpness of the aligoté and the tastes of the time. Contemporary practice is far drier, often one to nine or less, and with better base wine the drink is improved by it. A Kir Royale substitutes champagne, where the acidity and the bubbles carry the sweetness better, and where restraint matters even more.
Beyond the Kir
The El Diablo is the drink that proves cassis is not only a wine sweetener: tequila, lime, cassis and ginger beer, where the blackcurrant sits against agave and ginger rather than against wine. It also works in a gin sour, in place of some of the syrup, and with vodka and soda as a simple long drink. The rule holds throughout, which is that it needs acidity or spice opposite it rather than anything sweet.
Pro Tip
Cassis works best when it lifts dryness, not when it replaces it.
Top Tips
- Pour it short. It carries the highest sugar minimum in the crème family and builds fast.
- Give it something dry. Aligoté, champagne and blanco tequila all have the acidity to hold it up.
- Do not confuse it with mûre. Cassis is blackcurrant, sharper and more tannic than blackberry.
Possible Substitutions
- Blackcurrant syrup (non-alcoholic, sweeter)
Production Method
Produced by macerating blackcurrants in neutral spirit, followed by pressing, sweetening, and blending. Quality versions emphasise fruit intensity balanced by natural acidity.
History & Context
Crème de cassis became widely associated with French aperitif culture in the 19th century and is famously used in the Kir and Kir Royale. Its balance of sweetness and acidity made it a natural partner for dry wines and spirits, and it remains one of the most versatile fruit-based liqueurs in classic cocktail making.
Common Questions
What is the Kir ratio?
Traditionally about one part cassis to four or five of white wine, which reads as very sweet now. Modern practice runs far drier, often one to nine or less, and with a decent base wine that is an improvement rather than a compromise.
Cassis versus crème de mûre?
Cassis is blackcurrant and mûre is blackberry. Cassis is sharper, more tannic and more aggressively perfumed; mûre is rounder and jammier. They are swapped constantly and should not be, since cassis will dominate a drink built for the gentler fruit.
Does cassis need the fridge?
Not for safety, since sugar and alcohol preserve it, but it helps. The bright fruit note is what fades in an opened bottle, and cold slows that, so refrigeration is worth it for a bottle that will take months to finish rather than weeks.
What is an El Diablo?
Tequila, lime, crème de cassis and ginger beer, built long over ice. It is the drink that shows cassis working outside wine, with the blackcurrant sitting against agave and ginger. The ginger beer supplies the spice and the length the liqueur needs.