- published: 09 Jul 2016
- views: 502
Crème de cassis (pronounced: [kʁɛm də kasis]) is a sweet, dark red liqueur made from blackcurrants.
Several cocktails are made with crème de cassis, including the very popular wine cocktail, kir.
It may also be served as an after-dinner liqueur or as a frappé.
It is made from blackcurrants that are crushed and soaked in alcohol, with sugar subsequently added.
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,England,Luxembourg, Quebec and Tasmania.
The quality of crème de cassis depends upon the variety of fruit used, the content of the berries, and the production process. If it is labelled "Crème de Cassis de Dijon," one is guaranteed berries from the commune of Dijon.
In 2015, the new protected geographical indication (PGI) “Crème de Cassis de Bourgogne” has been 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.
Cassis (French pronunciation: [kasi]; Occitan: Cassís) is a commune situated east of Marseille in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southern France.
It is a popular tourist destination, famous for its cliffs (falaises) and the sheltered inlets called calanques. The wines of Cassis are white and rosé, and not to be confused with crème de cassis, a specialty of Burgundy which takes its name from blackcurrants (cassis), not the commune.
The town is situated on the Mediterranean coast, about 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) east of Marseille. Cap Canaille 394 metres (1,293 feet), between Cassis and La Ciotat ("the civitas") is one of the highest maritime bluffs in Europe, a sailor's landmark for millennia. It is east of Marseille and in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône.
The site where Cassis now sits was first occupied between 500 and 600 BC by the Ligures, who constructed a fortified habitation at the top of the Baou Redon. These people lived by fishing, hunting, and by farming.