Classic cocktail · Guided recipe
Kir Impérial
Start makingA Kir Royale dressed in raspberry: a measure of raspberry liqueur lifted with champagne. Pink, fruity and elegant.
In the glassRaspberry liqueur · Champagne
See exact amounts
What goes in
Ingredients
Set up before you pour
Use a champagne flute.
The narrow bowl slows the loss of bubbles and keeps sparkling cocktails bright for longer.
- Standard size
- 180 ml6 oz
- Ice & serve
- Chill it first; serve without ice.
- If you don’t own one
- Use a small white-wine glass if a flute is unavailable.
- jigger or measuring spoon
- Raspberry liqueur15 ml
- Champagne90 ml
From bottle to glass
Method
- 01
Measure and pour Pour 15 ml raspberry liqueur
Raspberry liqueur
- 02
Top gently Top with 90 ml champagne
Champagne
Know your drink
About the Kir Impérial
Kir by another name
Swap the wine and the drink changes name. Cider instead of white gives you a Kir Breton in Brittany or a Kir Normand in Normandy. Red wine makes a Communard. Champagne makes it Royale, and champagne with raspberry in place of blackcurrant makes it Impérial. All of them run on one idea: a spoonful of fruit liqueur turning an ordinary glass of wine into something with a title.
Common questions
Kir Impérial FAQ
Chambord, or a cheaper crème de framboise?
Chambord is the default and also the sweetest, with vanilla and honey notes that some people love and others find heavy. A plain crème de framboise tastes more of fruit and less of the bottle. Either way check the sugar, because a syrupy liqueur sinks and stays at the bottom.
Does swapping cassis for raspberry really taste different?
Noticeably. Cassis is darker and slightly tannic, closer to blackcurrant leaf than to jam, and it stains the wine purple. Raspberry is rounder and pitched higher, so at the same 15 ml the drink reads sweeter. Coming from a Kir Royale, start at 10 ml and taste.
Which goes into the flute first?
Liqueur, then wine. The liqueur is heavier, so champagne poured on top mixes the two on the way down and you get an even color without touching it. Pour slowly against the side of the glass. Stirring afterwards costs you most of the bubbles and gains nothing.
Should there be anything floating in it?
No, and that is deliberate. Fruit dropped into a flute foams on contact and then sits at the bottom looking sad. If you want the look, one fresh raspberry added after pouring is the limit. Sugar on the rim is worse than useless, since it kills the bubbles.
What ingredients are in a Kir Impérial?
A classic Kir Impérial calls for 15 ml (0.5 oz) Raspberry liqueur, 90 ml (3 oz) Champagne. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.
How strong is a Kir Impérial?
A standard Kir Impérial is roughly 13% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it about as strong as a glass of wine.
Is a Kir Impérial shaken or stirred?
A Kir Impérial is built directly in the glass over ice — no shaker required. Add the ingredients in order and give it a brief, gentle stir.
Sharpen the technique
Skills used in this recipe
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