Creme de Cassis is a traditional French liqueur made with black currants. Some people will say it should only be made with black currants, but there's many fruit you can make it with if you don't like the astringency of the fruit. Besides currants, black raspberries make a wonderful homemade cassis.
What is Cassis Liqueur?
Creme de cassis is a simply currants or other fruit infused into brandy and sweetened. If you don't grow black currant bushes, you can buy black currants from a farmers market.
If they're out of season, its fine to use frozen black currants.
How to Make Crème de Cassis
It's easy to make, just take your fruit and put it in a jar with cane sugar and brandy. Some people use vodka but it isn't as good. Sticklers will say it should be about 15% alcohol by volume, but I'd encourage you to make it however strong you like. The Images below describe the process.
I never add spices like cinnamon which are too strong and can ruin the delicate flavor, although a vanilla pod can be nice.
Sometimes I add a few leaves of Galium triflorum instead of vanilla.
How to use
Black currant liqueur is the key ingredient in Kir Royale: a champagne cocktail made with cassis. Here's a few other ideas too.
- Drizzled over vanilla ice cream.
- As an appertif all by itself.
- Used in baking, and sauces for duck and game.
More Interesting Drinks and Liqueurs
Crème de Cassis: The Blackcurrant Liqueur
Equipment
- 1 two quart mason jar or similar
- 1 Fine Strainer
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs black currants or other fruit I like black cap raspberries
- 750 ML bottle of brandy not too cheap, not too expensive*
- ½ cup sugar or maple syrup or to taste
Instructions
- Pick the fruit or currants over for debris or any foreign particles.
- Add the currants or other fruit to a glass container such as a mason jar, add the maple or sugar and brandy and stir well until dissolved. Store for at least 30 days and up to six months.
- When you're pleased with the flavor, strain without pressing on the berries, then bottle the liquor. Discard the fruit.
Video
Notes
How to Make Kir Royale
Nutrition
Gilbert
As I understand since living 2 years as a child in Paris and going to a Lycee, cassis is the French word for black current. So you should be referring to these other fruit liqueurs\tinctures as creme de framboises etc.
Tangential, gaultherie is the French word for wintergreen.
I love cassis jam. I have been growing black currants for 10 years. They are almost damn invasive. However, the best, less astringent flavor is from dried leaves.
Another project: extract that unique Dr Pepper flavor from sweet flag leaves or the bulb at the leaf base. Sweet Flag calamus often called rat root by Native Americans. Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox discuss it in Uncle Remus tales.
Shaun
What was the secret ingredient? Looked like brandy, maple syrup, vanilla extract and then something else... or I thought there was something else!
Alan Bergo
Hi Shaun. The secret ingredient is my wild vanilla extract, or you could put some galium leaves fresh in the bottle.
Bo
Do you think using wild grapes would produce a similar end result?
Alan Bergo
Yes it will be great, but it will be more tart as wild grapes contain tartaric acid. Nothing some maple syrup can't fix though, and as long as you don't mash the fruit the amount of tartaric acid should be negligeable. If you wanted to blend fresh juice with alcohol to macerate it you would want to rack off the sediment first with wild grapes, which contains the tartaric acid.
KB
Sounds great - just store at room temperature for the 30 days?
Alan Bergo
Yep! Sorry if that was unclear. Alcohol essentially pickles the fruit and makes it shelf stable.
Alice
I just picked organic black currants and blackcaps and will give this a try! Can I use cheesecloth instead of a lid on top of the jar?
Alan Bergo
Hello, I’d avoid cheesecloth here as sugar and alcohol invite flies.
Gretta
This turned out so good. I love that you show using different fruit. Black currants aren't really my thing so I used a mix of black raspberries and black currants this year. Incredible flavor with the maple added!!
Judy Milne
Could you give the ingredient quantities in grams and ml please? Thank you.
Jacqui
Yes! Stuff steeped in alcohol!
Can you find rosehips? Any kind really, but maybe not big fat Rosa rugosa you would make into jam, or hawthorn?
Rosehip snaps and hawthorn snaps are best made with fruits that have had some serious frosts. That appears to be your reality ... Best made with a 35-40% neutral grain alcohol or vodka. If you make them now they should be ready for Christmas.
Jeremy
This was incredible. I made it with a combo of black caps and currants! Thank you!