Have you ever tried a Pinot Royal Champagne Cocktail before? Well ever since we visited Paris many years ago we fell in love with the delightful Kir Royal champagne cocktail. Of course we had to recreate the Kir Royal at home too and adore this refreshing and elegant drink. This last week we couldn’t find Crème de Cassis in our local grocery store, but we were craving the luscious taste of our beloved cocktail.
When we planned a Mother’s Day brunch in Santa Barbara we knew we just had to have something special to go along with the decadent French Toast with raspberries and so impulsively poured a little of our Pinot Noir Syrup (that we had made to drizzle over the French Toast) into our Champagne glass. Wow what a delight! As we enjoyed sipping this tart and sweet bubbly drink we thought we have to name it something special. You see the French have Kir Royal, so we decided Santa Barbara needs a Pinot Royal Champagne Cocktail!
The fizzy sweetness and dark berry nuances of this Pinot Royal Champagne Cocktail are such a pleasant Apéritif and make a delightful start to any meal, be it a brunch or dinner.
Corina: The dark berry color evokes an elegance that made us immediately think of the James Bond film “Casino Royal” and we are just missing the lead actor Daniel Craig to bring us this vibrant little cocktail to enjoy.
Judit: This drink is the adult version of a childhood favorite of mine called Málna, which is the Hungarian word for Raspberry, and it was made of raspberry syrup and seltzer water. Of course now I’m spoiled and prefer the Champagne instead.
The traditional Kir Royal is a French cocktail made from adding Crème de Cassis to white Champagne or Sparkling Wine with a ratio of about 10 to 1 and Crème de Cassis is a sweet deep red liqueur produces from blackcurrants. Our version has a Pinot Noir syrup instead and we have a ratio of 8 to 1.
Pinot Royal Champagne Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 TBsp Pinot Noir Syrup
- 1/2 cup white Champagne or Sparkling Wine preferably Brut, chilled
- 3 Fresh Raspberries
- 1 Sprig Basil or Mint
Instructions
- Cool the Pinot Noir Syrup and chill the Champagne for at least 2-3 hours. If you are in the hurry you can use a frozen Champagne Chiller Sleeve to speed up the process.
- Add 1 Tbsp of the Pinot Noir Syrup to a Champagne flute.
- Tilt the glass slightly and pour in the chilled Champagne.
- Carefully drop in the Raspberries.
- Decorate with a Basil or Mint Sprig. Enjoy!
For the Pinot Noir Syrup
Ingredients
1 cup Pinot Noir Wine
2 Tbsp Local Raw Honey
1 Sprig of Fresh Basil
Directions
Combine wine and honey in a small sauce pan. Simmer over medium high heat for about 20 minutes or until reduced to about 1/3 cup. Add the basil sprig, set aside to cool down.
Health Tips: Look for local raw honey since raw honey is not heated so is much more nutritious with beneficial antioxidants, phytonutrients, B Vitamins and enzymes. Local honey may help protect against allergies by providing pollen from the surrounding trees, which can build up immunity to the specific pollen.
Our deliciously simple French Toast Recipe goes so well with this glorious Pinot Royal Champagne Cocktail cocktail.
Such a gorgeous color cocktail!!! And I’d love to enjoy it with the delicious French toast! <3 Your recipes and table setting and everything is so inspiring! I love getting all the entertainment tips from you ladies. 🙂
This is beautiful and the color is stunning! I’ve never tried this before and can’t wait to make this and the syrup. I’m sure it will be a huge hit in my home.
Just love this “Pinot Royal” cocktail and it looks so pretty. Saw it on your blog last week and made it Friday night when I had a few friends over. They were impressed!
I’ve had many a Kir Royale, but haven’t tried a Pinot Royal. I should! Sounds lovely, and looks terrific — thanks.
How delicious! I love kir royale! So the raspberry colour comes just from those 3 raspberries you added? 🙂
Haha! The secret is potent raspberries 😉 Actually we hoped for a lighter pink and only put in a tiny splash of Pinot Syrup, nevertheless it was a nice color and even better taste! J+C
Adding it to my list of cocktails for the next party! Looks like a fun drink.
Nice that you liked it and it is a refreshing start to a party. J+C
I would love to tuck in & join you for a glass of bubbly anytime! Have a wonderful week!
That would be so much fun Blackswan! We are definitely always ready for a little bubbly. 🙂 J+C
What a beautiful cocktail! So elegant and pretty. All your images are so romantic and perfectly styled… so pleased I found your website.
We are so glad too Gourmet Getaways! We enjoy simple recipes too that make a beautiful presentation. Hope you enjoy the Pinot Royal Champagne recipe 🙂
This cocktail sounds like it is fit for a special occasion. Sounds lovely!
Thank you Dawn! This pretty little cocktail is really simple to make and you only need the recipe for Pinot Syrup 🙂
This sounds so nice, lovely to enjoy outside too!
Oh yes Caroline! We love to dine outdoors and we are so blessed in Southern California because we can enjoy it year around!
Cheers,
J+C
Perfect! Perfect! Perfect! Gorgeous color. Really makes the table and a very nice compliment to the French toast. This is a new drink to me. Thank you for introducing me.
Thank you Carol for your kind comments! This cocktail really was a fabulous idea and it is so simple to make and cost a lot less then any liquor you may purchase in a store. Have w onderfull week!
Cool idea for a cocktail! I don’t drink champagne often but this looks good.
Happy you liked it Aaron. It is a fun twist on simple Champagne and adds a touch of sweetness. J+C
This Pinot Royal cocktail looks so refreshing! I want a glass right now and also want to sit at that gorgeous table in the shade.
Hello Miranda, it was a lovely warm day and the Pinot Royal is such a deliciously light cocktail that it does not over power the delicate flavors of the raspberries. Cheers! J+C
This weekend my grandmother who I haven’t seen in 18 years in finally coming to live with my parents. I am going to make this cocktail to celebrate. Beautiful!
That sounds wonderful Kathy! We are so glad you get to see your grandmother and hope you will enjoy the Pinot Royal cocktail too! J+C