January Liquor: Crème de Cassis

Crème de Cassis is a liqueur made of black currant, a fruit that is illegal to grow in many parts of the United States because of a tree-killing disease associated with it. Careful forestry practice has reduced the risk of the disease spreading. Most Crème de Cassis available in the United States comes from France, where the liqueur is quite popular.

    

We poured ourselves a small glass of crème de cassis and let the fun begin.

Joe: First of all, it smells like this black currant gum I had a dozen years ago while visiting a friend in England. I wasn't a fan of the gum. It tasted like Penicillin. With this, our initial taste test, I was expecting something syrupy and cloying. What I got was something reminiscent of cough medicine. There's a sweet undercurrant (buh-dum-CHING!), and I imagine it will give our cocktails a kick similar to grenadine. If not in taste, definitely in color. On its own, I give crème de cassis a solid B. 

Dave: When Joe picked crème de cassis, I was worried our blog adventure was going to be over before it began. Joe is not a fan of sweet liqueurs, so I half expected him to taste it, screw up his face, and ask for some bourbon to wash it down. Happily, crème de cassis is not too-too sweet; it has a slightly tart, sharp nose and a warm, very sweet, almost velvety finish. Being slightly viscous, I'm curious as to whether it will foam up if shaken with ice. My initial thoughts are that it would pair nicely with dark, aged spirits like rum and whiskey, but I'm excited to try it with lighter-colored spirits like vodka, white rum, and tequila, if only for the lovely purple color it will give the final cocktail. 

So next we will return to our respective homes and begin experimenting with crème de cassis. We will post about our failures, triumphs, and mediocrities here in the coming weeks.

Cheers!


Nerdy Librarian Citations
Stewart, Amy. The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2013. Print.