A French
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Kir is undoubtedly a cocktail of French origin: its
invention is, in fact, due to the mayor of Dijon, Felix Kir,
pioneer of the Twinning movement, which promotes city partnerships
across Europe. The mayor had the custom of preparing the
cocktail as a welcome for visiting delegations. However, others
claim that Mr. Kir was none other than the local abbot. There is
also another version of the story: one account claims that
it was a waiter named Faivre who, one day, at the
Café George in Dijon, mixed Crème de Cassis with white wine.
Originally called Cassis Blanc, it would only later be renamed Kir,
in honor of the politician and his important movement. As a
transalpine drink, the wine used is typically a local French
white: originally, a Bourgogne Aligoté. It was only later that
other wines began to be used, including Bourgogne Blanc or
other Chardonnay-based whites, such as the famous Chablis. Among the
numerous variants of this cocktail, the most famous is the Kir Royale,
where Champagne is the protagonist.