Crème de Cassis
Crème de cassis is a French blackcurrant liqueur, most often 15% ABV, and Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 makes it the sweetest of the crèmes: at least 400g of sugar a litre, against 250g for any other. That is why it goes in by the 10ml or 15ml. It turns dry white wine into a Kir, champagne into a Kir Royale, and colours the El Diablo and the Russian Spring Punch.
Quick Facts
We keep it in the fridge once opened, cap tight. Unopened, a cool, dark cupboard.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Recipes vary by brand: check the bottle.
About Crème de Cassis
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Concentrated blackcurrant, sweet and a little tart, with a leafy edge in the better bottles.
The law makes cassis the sweetest crème
Crème de cassis is made from blackcurrants soaked in spirit, then pressed and heavily sugared. Under retained EU law on spirit drinks, anything sold by that name must hold 400g of sugar a litre or more, at 15% alcohol or more. Every other crème de needs 250g, and a plain liqueur 100g.
What Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 requires of each (the examples are ours)
Minimum sugar
- Crème de cassis
- 400 g a litre
- Any other crème de (fruit)
- 250 g a litre
- Any other liqueur
- 100 g a litre (70 g for some cherry liqueurs)
Minimum strength
- Crème de cassis
- 15%
- Any other crème de (fruit)
- 15%
- Any other liqueur
- 15%
Examples on our shelf
- Crème de cassis
- Crème de cassis
- Any other crème de (fruit)
- Crème de mûre
- Any other liqueur
- Chambord, peach schnapps
| Crème de cassis | Any other crème de (fruit) | Any other liqueur | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum sugar | 400 g a litre | 250 g a litre | 100 g a litre (70 g for some cherry liqueurs) |
| Minimum strength | 15% | 15% | 15% |
| Examples on our shelf | Crème de cassis | Crème de mûre | Chambord, peach schnapps |
Most bottles sit at 15% ABV, the floor; a few, such as Védrenne's Supercassis, are 20%. The rules set a minimum, not a recipe, so two bottles can differ in sugar and fruit. A label that names Dijon or Burgundy tells you where the fruit was steeped, not how much went in.
The Kir began as blanc-cassis in Dijon
White Burgundy with a little cassis was drunk around Dijon as Blanc Cassis before Félix Kir, who was elected mayor in 1945, gave it his name. Our Kir pours 10ml of cassis under 90ml of dry white wine, and the Kir Royale swaps the wine for champagne. Neither is stirred: the wine does the mixing as it goes in.
It also works with tequila, vodka and ginger
The El Diablo puts 15ml with 45ml of blanco tequila, lime and ginger beer in a highball, where the ginger keeps the fruit from tasting of jam. The Russian Spring Punch adds the same 15ml to vodka, lemon and sugar, then tops it with champagne. For a rounder berry note, crème de mûre suits better.
An opened bottle belongs in the fridge
At 15%, cassis sits at the low end for a liqueur, and the fruit is what fades. In our experience, kept cold with the cap tight, it holds its colour and smell for about six months; left warm, it turns brown and tastes of stewed jam.
Using Crème de Cassis
Usage
Always a small measure: 10ml under 90ml of wine in a Kir or champagne in a Kir Royale, and 15ml in an El Diablo or a Russian Spring Punch. It brings sugar, colour and fruit at once, so whatever goes on top should be dry, sharp or both.
Pro Tip
For a Kir Royale, chill both the flute and the champagne, pour the 10ml of cassis first, then pour the champagne slowly down the side of the glass. The bubbles carry the cassis up; a spoon only flattens the wine.
Top Tips
- Cassis goes in first, then the wine on top; the pour does the mixing, so there is nothing to stir.
- Use a dry, sharp white for a Kir. A soft, fruity one adds sugar the cassis has already supplied.
- Once opened, we keep it in the fridge and finish it within about six months, before the fruit goes flat.
- Smell an old bottle before using it. If it smells of stewed jam, it has oxidised.
Possible Substitutions
- Blackcurrant syrup (non-alcoholic, sweeter)
Production Method
Blackcurrants left to soak in neutral spirit, pressed, and sweetened to at least 400g a litre, the floor Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 sets for crème de cassis.
History & Context
By the Oxford Companion’s account, the Kir takes its name from Félix Kir (1876 to 1968), a priest who was mayor of Dijon from 1945 to 1968. Before that the mix of white wine and cassis was known as Blanc Cassis, and the Companion says it was often claimed to have been invented in a Dijon café in 1904 for the mayor Henri Barabant, who made it the city’s official drink at receptions. The standard wine is Bourgogne Aligoté, a sharp white that takes the sugar well.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is crème de cassis?
How sweet is crème de cassis?
How long does crème de cassis last once opened?
What is the Kir ratio?
Is crème de cassis the same as blackcurrant cordial?
What can I use instead of crème de cassis?
What drinks use crème de cassis?
Sources.
Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (retained)”.
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (François Monti), “Kir” (secondary source: named after Félix Kir, priest and mayor of Dijon 1945 to 1968; Blanc Cassis; the standard Kir built with Bourgogne aligoté).
- IBA, “Kir”.
- Difford’s Guide, “Vedrenne Supercassis Crème de Cassis Liqueur” (secondary source: alc./vol 20%).
Made with Crème de Cassis
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Often Used With
Updated 19 October 2026