🍇 Crème de… liqueur

Crème de… is a liqueur whose name continues with the fruit or other raw material that gives the drink its main flavour: cassis, framboise, menthe. In the EU it is category 34: at least 250 g/l of sugar and at least 15% vol. Here “crème” means high sweetness, not cream: milk products are not allowed.

Crème de… is a type of liqueur (category 33), so the same flavouring rules apply. Liqueurs of blackcurrant, raspberry, sour cherry, cherry, citrus, mint or aniseed may use only flavouring foodstuffs, flavouring preparations and natural flavouring substances. The word “liqueur” may be added to the legal name.

The strictest rules apply to crème de cassis: only a blackcurrant liqueur with more than 400 g/l of sugar may carry that name. The EU register eAmbrosia lists three French geographical indications for it: Cassis de Dijon (since 1989), Cassis de Bourgogne and Cassis de Saintonge (since 2008).

Its best-known use is the aperitif kir. The official recipe of the International Bartenders Association: pour 10 ml of crème de cassis into a glass and top up with 90 ml of dry white wine; a kir royal uses champagne instead of wine.

Why it matters to you. “Crème” does not mean milk: milk products are banned in this liqueur, and liqueurs with milk are called “cream”. Mind the sugar too: a litre of crème de cassis holds more than 400 g. WHO: there is no safe level of alcohol.