The Cocktail Spirit with Robert Hess

I need to post a minor correction. In the video I say the “Kir” is made with white bordeaux… I did of course mean to say white “Burgundy”. I also should have pointed out that I wasn’t using “Champange” in this episode, but “Sparkling Wine”, since to be called “Champagne” it has to be made in the Champagne region of France.

Nice episode! and the only comments which I had, you’ve already corrected!
One tiny little thing: it doesn’t seem classic to me, to garnish a Kir Royale with a lemon twist. I prefer to skip the garnish in this case…

For the Kir you could also use Chablis or Poilly Fume as both are sub divisions of Burgundy (and it is only allowed to produce chardonnay if white) - might be more expensive but easier to find…

robert your grace and humilty are never in question the measure of a master, for the opinionated one i cannot say the same the hallmarks of vanity lend no creed to your words the cocktail spirit is just that the spirit of sharing knowledge with those with and ernest desire to learn return to the wine vault and learn some manners. cc

@ cc:
I definitely estimate the value of Robert’s work! However I got to know him as very open “virtual host” who would discuss (in a friendly manner) about one or the other subject!

I save my breath to comment about your outlandish try of defamation not least to preserve this section of premature off-topic discussions…

Thanks and regards!

Dominik MJ

Robert:

My wife and I love Kir Royals.  One thing I do differently is tilt the flute and pour the cassis down the side.  It gives the drink a graduated color and a sweetish finish.

Thanks for the great videos.

Cheers!

I love Kir Royales, and try to incorporate them into my evening regime.

My lady and I have come to call it a “Sunset”, per the manner of execution as follows:

Store the champagne and the Creme de Cassis in the refrigerator. 

Fill the flute with your sparkling wine or champagne, then add the dash of creme de cassis. 

The ruby red of the cassis will lie at the bottom of the flute, creating a “sunset” appearance.

Best to all.

I was recently introduced to the Kir Royal by Chef Scott Nelson who is the head chef at Brasserie Du Vin in Honolulu, Hawaii (which is where occasionally I perform music)...Chef Scott at one time worked with Chef Emeril in New Orleans...Anyway every time I noticed Scott at the bar he always was drinking a Kir Royal...but with a slightly interesting twist...Champagne and Chambord in lieu of the Creme de Cassis. It’s very nice.

PS: Very Nice videos here. Production quality is just as good as commercial tv if not better. Mahalo!

I’m surprised that you fill the flute of champagne *before* you put the crème de cassis. I’ve never seen such a thing before. Every time I’ve had the chance to enjoy a Kir Royal, the crème de cassis was put first at the bottom of the flute, then the glass was filled with champagne. We do the same for the plain Kir. By the way, seeing how expensive is (real) champagne---even in France---it is often wiser to use a very good white wine for an excellent Kir instead of a cheap and bad champagne for a crappy Kir Royal.

TFG,

The sparkler is chilled, as well as the creme de cassis, under the same conditions (same area of a True fridge).

The cassis is heavier, so, in the same temp conditions, naturally drops to the bottom.

That being said, not all creme de cassis’ are equal in this respect.

The “Massenez Creme de Cassis de Dijon”, for ~$22-25 US, always works.  Others can be a little less viscuous, and don’t settle as well.  Experimentation recommended…

Cheers, and thanks for your thoughts.

K. Morgan

One of the main reasons I do the champagne first, is because any time I’ve had this drink in France (my habit is to have one as an aperitif right before the meal), that’s the way they would do it.

As K indicates, the cassis is almost always going to fall to the bottom anyway. By pouring it on top of the champagne it will then at least have a chance to leave a lovely little trail of color as he heads to the bottom.

-Robert

The fact that crème de cassis is heavier than champagne is precisely the reason why it should be put first. When a heavy liquid lies at the bottom of a glass, and you put a lighter liquid into it, both liquids will blend together. If, on the contrary, you put champagne in a glass, and then pour a heavy liquid into it (e.g., crème de cassis), the heavy liquid will go straight to the bottom, and will not mix. Try with a soda+sirup. If you put the sirup last, you have to stir the liquids to have something homogeneous.
I have asked a few friends, and they confirm they have never seen a Kir Royal made with champagne first. Perhaps the bar where you have this Kir have this particular way of doing it, and perhaps they have a good reason to do that, but I assure you that it is very uncommon to prepare Kir Royal this way in France.
With that said, both modes of preparation will generally produce good results anyway.