Kir Imperial (Champagne & Chambord)

Kir Imperial (Champagne & Chambord) – Champagne meets Chambord in a bubbly fusion of effervescence and rich berry flavors in the classic cocktail, Kir Imperial. This elegant pink drink is the perfect choice for celebrating special occasions, Valentine’s Day, and toasting New Year’s Eve!

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The iconic Kir Imperial cocktail is a fantastic way to elevate the already wonderful, sparkling wine! It takes the fun, festive spirit of Champagne, or another sparkling wine and makes it even more special by adding the juicy berry flavors of Chambord.

It’s a gorgeous pink cocktail that’s as delicious as it is pretty!

This Champagne cocktail is perfect for birthday or anniversary celebrations, Valentine’s Day, brunch, or anytime you’re feeling fancy!

Feel free to use a rosé prosecco to really bring out the pink color of the cocktail!

Ingredients needed for this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):

Sparkling wine (prosecco, cava, Champagne)
Chambord
Raspberries (optional garnish)

Since this drink is made with only two ingredients, it’s incredibly easy to make! In fact, there’s no mixing required.

Simply add Chambord to a Champagne flute and fill up the rest of the glass with sparkling wine!

Raspberries are optional garnishes, but they not only look pretty in the glass, they’re also a delicious treat when the drink is finished!

What is Chambord?

Chambord is a French black raspberry liqueur. It imparts a sweet, berry-forward flavor to whatever you add it to.

Chambord is made of black currants, blackberries, raspberries, Madagascan vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel, honey, XO cognac, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

It has a sweet, rich, and complex flavor that pairs perfectly with the effervescent bubbles of a sparkling wine, especially a dry sparkling wine like brut Champagne.

What kind of sparkling wine is best for a Kir Imperial?

Cava, prosecco, and Champagne are excellent sparkling wines for this cocktail. All three of them are available in white or rosé. The rosé variety will make the drink more pink.

Cava is a sparkling wine from Spain.

Prosecco is a sparkling wine from Italy.

Champagne is a sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France. It must be from that region to be called “Champagne”, otherwise, it is simply sparkling wine.

Get a sparkling wine that suits your tastes – more dry, more sweet, etc. I like my cocktails on the drier side, so I make mine with brut Champagne or a dry prosecco.

What is the difference between a Kir, Kir Royale, and a Kir Imperial?

Kir is a French apéritif made with dry white Burgundy wine and crème de cassis (black current liqueur).
Kir Royale is a spinoff of the Kir, but instead of dry white wine, it uses Champagne. So it’s Champagne & crème de cassis.
Kir Imperial is very similar to a Kir Royale, but calls for sparkling wine (not specifically Champagne) and Chambord (black raspberry liqueur) instead of crème de cassis.

Like sweeter cocktails?

Use a “dry” or “extra dry” Champagne as opposed to a Brut. Brut Champagne is ironically, less sweet and more dry than “extra dry”.
Add more Chambord to the cocktail. The more Chambord you add, the sweeter the drink will be.

How to serve a Kir Imperial?

Kir Imperials are often enjoyed as an apéritif before meals, during brunch, or as a special occasion toast like New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day.

This cocktail is best served in a Champagne flute. I have made this drink in a coupe glass and the fizz of the Champagne goes flat pretty quickly compared to a traditional flute glass.

Raspberries or blackberries are great garnishes for Champagne & Chambord. Plus, they’re also a tasty finish when you get to the bottom of the glass!

Want to make a batch of cocktails?

If you want to make a batch of this cocktail, add the Chambord and raspberries in each glass ahead of time, but don’t pour the sparkling wine until the last minute. That way it will be nice and bubbly when served!

Looking for a sweet treat to pair with this Champagne Cocktail?

Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake (shown below) features a moist lemon cake with a fresh raspberry puree swirled throughout. It would perfectly complement this drink!

NOTES:

To get the pink color of the cocktail in the photos, I used a rosé prosecco.
This recipe makes a less-sweet Kir Imperial. Feel free to use 1/4-1/2 ounce more Chambord to make a sweeter cocktail.

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