crème de cassis is a blackcurrant liqueur, originally from Burgundy, France. Blackcurrants (Ribes nigrum) are first macerated in neutral alcohol. Solids are then filtered out, and sugar is added. Blackcurrants are particularly tart, and crème de cassis is consequently made with more sugar than other fruit liqueurs—French law states a minimum of 400 grams of sugar per liter. There are currently three protected geographical indications for crème de cassis: cassis de Dijon, cassis de Bourgogne (both in Burgundy), and cassis de Saintonge (in the Cognac region).
Blackcurrants were traditionally grown in vineyards and turned into homemade liqueurs by Burgundian families. In the 1840s, local distiller Denis Lagoute launched the first commercial version, and many others followed. With the phylloxera crisis, which first hit Burgundy in 1878, many Burgundian vine growers saw the blackcurrant as a good opportunity to diversify. This led to a production boom.
Although when drunk on its own, crème de cassis is a digestive, the liqueur is central to French aperitif culture. From the late nineteenth century until World War II, crème de cassis was frequently mixed with aromatized wines and spirits. Today, it’s mostly known for its association with the Kir and the Kir Royal, but mixed drinks such as the Vermouth Cassis or the Suze Cassis were once widely popular. See
“Du cassis de Bourgogne.” La feuille de tout le monde, August 8, 1861, 4.
Légifrance. Décret du 28 juillet 1908 pris pour l’application de la loi du 1er août 1905 sur la répression des fraudes dans la vente des marchandises en ce qui concerne les liqueurs et sirops. https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/LEGITEXT000006071230/1936-02-16/ (accessed March 18, 2021).
François Monti