Lavender Kir Royale

Lavender Kir Royale is a spin on a classic French aperitif cocktail made with champagne and lavender syrup in place of Crème de cassis. If you enjoy cocktails with a subtle botanical aroma, this recipe will be for you then.

Hello folks! How are you doing? I hope not surviving another heat wave (as we are!) But well, it’s nearly mid of July, so I guess I should not complain about hot weather too much – and instead should share with you another refreshing cocktail!

Kir v. Kir Royale

What is the difference between these two drinks? Kir is a classic French cocktail made with Crème de cassis (blackcurrant liquor) and white wine. The Kir Royal includes the same blackcurrant liqueur and champagne instead of white wine.

Typically these cocktails are served as an apéritif. But they would be great as a dessert drink thanks to their sweetness, in my opinion.

Lavender Kir Royale

As you can guess from the name, this variation also includes lavender. I found this recipe in one of my favourite cookbooks “The Art of Cooking with Lavender” by Nancy Bagget (totally recommend it – it is not my first recipe from the book on the blog…and this should tell you a lot!) Anyway, technically some may not consider this to be a classic variation, as Crème de cassis gets replaced by the lavender syrup.

And that makes sense. I did not have any blackcurrant liquor, so out of curiosity I tried one serving with raspberry liqueur (I know, that’s not a substitution, but whatever). And as I had expected, the cocktail was overly sweet; that kind of sweet that is almost impossible to manage. So no addition of liqueur is necessary for this one.

However, I tweaked the original recipe as the suggested amount of lavender syrup (1/2 to 2/3 cup for one 750-ml. bottle of wine) sounded way too much – that’s more than 20 ml. of the syrup per serving. I think around a tablespoon (15 ml.) that I used was a perfect amount for our liking. Still, you can even try with less of it – especially if your wine is already quite sweet.

For the champagne or sparkling wine choice, I would recommend picking the one with is drier, to balance out the sweetness of lavender syrup. Prosecco would be one of the great options!

More Lavender Cocktails to Try

And if you like more lavender cocktails, please be sure check these ideas:

Lavender Mojito

Lavender Peach Raspberry Sangria

Empress Lavender Lemonade

I hope you like this Kir Royale, and you will give it a try soon. If you try it, let me know in this post or send me an Instagram message or share you photos adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.

Cheers!

Lavender Kir Royale

Recipe by Ben | HavocinthekitchenCourse: DrinksCuisine: French

Servings

1

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Lavender Kir Royale is a spin on a classic French aperitif cocktail made with champagne and lavender syrup in place of Crème de cassis. Cooking time does not include the time to make and chill lavender syrup.

Recipe adapted from the book The Art of Cooking with Lavender” by Nancy Bagget.

Ingredients

• 125-150 ml. well-chilled Champagne, Prosecco or sparkling wine; I would recommend dry with low sugar content

• ~1 tbsp. (15 ml.) of lavender syrup – adjust to your preference; I used this amount, but you can start with 1/2 tbsp. and then add more, if necessary

• fresh or dried long lavender sprigs for garnish, optional

• fresh cherries, raspberries, strawberries, lemon slices, or other fruit for garnish, optional

Directions

• Put the lavender syrup (start with 1/2 tbsp. or so) in the bottom of the champagne flute or other glass Top the glass with the wine. Try and if desired, add more of the lavender syrup. Garnish as desired and serve immediately.

Ben | Havocinthekitchen

Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.