crème de cassis
{{Short description|Liqueur made from blackcurrants}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Cassis de Dijon|Cassis de Dijon (case law)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox beverage
| name = Crème de cassis
| image = Creme de Cassis.jpg
| caption = Crème de cassis bottled at 15% ABV
| type = Liqueur
| abv = 15%
| proof =
| manufacturer =
| distributor =
| origin = France (Burgundy)
| introduced = 1841
| discontinued =
| colour = Dark red
| flavour = Sweet
| ingredients = Blackcurrant
| variants =
| related =
| website =
| region =
}}
Crème de cassis ({{IPA|fr|kʁɛm də kasis}}) (also known as cassis liqueur) is a sweet, dark red liqueur made from blackcurrants.{{Cite book |last1=Duplais |first1=Pierre |last2=Duplais|first2= Pierre Jr. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=li8tAAAAYAAJ&q=Cr%25C3%25A8me%2520de%2520cassis&pg=PA518 |title=A Treatise on the Manufacture and Distillation of Alcoholic Liquors |year=1871 |publisher=H. C. Baird|location=Philadelphia|page=518 |language=en}}
Several cocktails are made with crème de cassis, notably the popular wine cocktail kir{{Cite book |last1=Marianski |first1=Stanley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6_3NSjdr1lwC&q=%2522Cr%25C3%25A8me%2520de%2520cassis%2522%2520kir&pg=PA265 |title=Home Production of Vodkas, Infusions & Liqueurs |last2=Marianski |first2=Adam |date=September 2012 |publisher=Bookmagic LLC |isbn=978-0-9836973-4-3 |language=en|page=265}} and its sparkling variant, the kir royal.{{cite web |url=https://punchdrink.com/articles/creme-de-cassis-liqueur-cocktail-recipes/ |title=How to Use Cassis in Cocktails |date=2023-03-02 |work=Punch}} Other cocktails that use it include the original tequila sunrise{{cite web |url=https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/10856/original-tequila-sunrise |title=Original Tequila Sunrise |work=Difford's Guide}} and the El Diabolo,{{cite web |url=https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/700/el-diablo-cocktail |title=El Diablo |work=Difford's Guide}} a tequila buck.
It may also be served as an after-dinner liqueur or as a frappé.
Ingredients
It is made from blackcurrants that are crushed and soaked in alcohol, with sugar subsequently added.
The quality of crème de cassis depends upon the variety of fruit used, the content of the berries, and the production process.{{clarify|date=June 2023}}
Origin and production
The modern version of the beverage first appeared in 1841, when it displaced "ratafia de cassis", which had been produced in prior centuries.
While crème de cassis is a specialty of Burgundy, it is also made in Anjou,{{Cite web |title=Crème de Cassis d'Anjou at giffard.com |url=http://www.giffard.com/en/s06_catalogue/s06p02_produit_pro.php?categ=64 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006044701/http://www.giffard.com/en/s06_catalogue/s06p02_produit_pro.php?categ=64 |archive-date=6 October 2011 |access-date=3 July 2011}} England,{{Cite news |last=O'Sullivan |first=Eve |date=21 December 2013 |title=Meet the cassis producer: 'We used to have 1,000 pickers at a time' |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/dec/21/meet-the-blackcurrant-producer-cassis |access-date=20 February 2023 |issn=0261-3077}} Luxembourg, Alberta, Quebec, Vermont and Tasmania.{{cite web |url=http://www.hartzview.com.au/wines-ports.html |title=Wines & Ports, Hartzview Vineyard, Tasmania |access-date=21 September 2013 |archive-date=26 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926005729/http://www.hartzview.com.au/wines-ports.html }}
In 1979, Germany attempted to restrict the import based on the alcohol content being too low. The Europe Court of Justice found this to be a breach of trade, in Rewe-Zentral AG v Bundesmonopolverwaltung für Branntwein.ECJ 22 May 1978, nr. C-120/78, Cassis de Dijon, paragraph 8, subparagraph 2.
In 2015, the new protected geographical indication (PGI) "Crème de Cassis de Bourgogne" was approved. Promoted by a syndicate of fruit producers and liqueurs companies from Burgundy, this "Crème de Cassis de Bourgogne" guarantees the Burgundian origin and the minimum quantity of berries used in its production, essentially the variety Noir de Bourgogne. If the berries come specifically from Dijon, the capital of Burgundy, the label may say "Crème de Cassis de Dijon" instead.{{fact|date=June 2023}}
Sales
Nearly {{convert|16|e6l|e6USgal|abbr=off}} of crème de cassis are produced annually in France.{{Cite web |title=Les Crèmes de Cassis |url=https://www.marque-alcool.com/marques_creme-cassis/ |access-date=20 February 2023 |website=www.marque-alcool.com}} It is consumed mostly in France but is also exported.
References
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{{French cuisine}}
{{Alcoholic beverages}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Creme De Cassis}}