Crème de Cassis is the most misused bottle on most home bars. People buy it once for a Kir, the bottle sits in the door of the fridge for two years, and then it tastes like cordial because that's what oxidised blackcurrant liqueur becomes. Used properly — and replaced often enough — it's one of the most useful bottles in the back bar.
What it actually is
Crème de Cassis is a maceration of blackcurrants (cassis) in neutral spirit, sweetened, bottled at around 15-20% ABV. By EU law a crème liqueur must contain at least 250 g/L of sugar. Cheap bottles use industrial-grade fruit and synthetic flavouring; good bottles use Noir de Bourgogne berries grown in the Côte d'Or, picked at full ripeness, macerated whole.
The difference is brutal. Real cassis tastes like fresh blackcurrant. Cheap cassis tastes like cassis Kool-Aid.
What separates a working cassis from a tired one
- The variety. Noir de Bourgogne is the benchmark — small, intense berries with low yield and high pigment. Cheaper bottles often use Royal de Naples or unspecified blends.
- Maceration time. Cheap producers fast-track the maceration with heat or solvents. Proper houses macerate for 6–8 weeks at low temperature, then press once.
- Sugar. The legal minimum is 250 g/L for crème. Premium bottles run 350–400 g/L — closer to syrup density, more body in the glass.
- Freshness on the shelf. Cassis oxidises fast once opened. If the bottle has been sitting on a hot shop shelf for a year, you're buying brown sludge.
Three Burgundy houses we'd put on the bar
Gabriel Boudier (Dijon, since 1874)
The textbook reference. The Dijon style is darker, more concentrated, with a slightly bitter edge from the seeds. Used by half the Michelin-starred restaurants in Burgundy for the house Kir. The Boudier Crème de Cassis de Dijon is the benchmark every other bottle gets compared to.
Vedrenne (Nuits-Saint-Georges)
A touch sweeter than Boudier, more fruit-forward, slightly less tannic. Useful when you want the cassis to sing in a long drink without going austere. Vedrenne also makes the Supercassis at 20% ABV — concentrated enough to use one part instead of two.
L'Héritier-Guyot
The third option locals reach for. A little more vinous, slightly less aggressive on sugar. Good in stirred drinks where you want depth without sweetness dominating.
How to use it
- Kir — 1 part cassis, 5 parts Aligoté or unoaked Chardonnay. Cold. The original is Aligoté because it cuts the sugar; Chardonnay if you want it rounder.
- Kir Royal — same ratio, Champagne instead of still wine. We use the Bonnaire Brut for this.
- El Diablo — tequila, cassis, lime, ginger beer. Underrated; cassis works better than the more common grenadine.
- Bramble — gin, lemon, simple, cassis floated. Cassis is the better choice over blackberry liqueur.
Storage
Once opened: refrigerate. Use within six months. Smell it before pouring — if the nose has gone flat or oxidised (think old grape juice), bin it. A 700 ml bottle in a working bar should empty in 8 weeks, not 8 months.
If you only buy one: the Gabriel Boudier Crème de Cassis de Dijon. If you want a second for variety: Vedrenne Supercassis for cocktail builds where concentration matters.
