‘The perfect drink to sip and do nothing’: Emily in Paris presents the Kir Royale as the cocktail of 2023

After months in the spotlight, the viral popularity of the Negroni sbagliato has been usurped by the Kir Royale -- a cocktail that made a number of appearances in season three of Emily in Paris.

Netflix released the third season of Emily in Paris on 21 December, with the latest installment landing in Netflix’s Top 10 in 93 countries, according to Deadline. The newest season has already sparked a number of viral conversations surrounding everything from Emily’s (Lily Collins), controversial new bangs to the resurgence of neon and metallic clothing.

The show has also seen the emergence of the latest trendy cocktail, the Kir Royale, after Emily and her Parisian coworkers Luc and Julien sipped on the drinks during an outdoors lunch celebrating the titular character’s unemployment in episode four.

“Ooh, this is delicious. What is it?” Emily asks after taking a sip from her champagne glass of the berry-coloured drink. Luc then provides Emily with a pronunciation lesson, before informing her that the cocktail consists of “crème de cassis topped with champagne”.

“The perfect drink to sip and do nothing as the Ferris wheel turns,” he adds, as the trio dine beside the Roue de Paris Ferris wheel at the Place de la Concorde.

The drink, which relies on crème de cassis, a liqueur made of blackcurrants from Burgundy, is featured twice more in the show -- notably after Emily suggests her friend Camille’s family create a canned version of the cocktails with their champagne brand Champere. The suggestion results in the creation of Chamère.

Emily’s fictional knack for advertising has translated off the TV screen. Food & Wine notes that Kir Royales began to trend on social media shortly after the release of season three.

More than a week after the debut of the latest installment, the viral popularity of the drink doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Viewers have continued to take to social media to share an interest in the drink.

“Now because of Emily in Paris, I have to try a Kir Royale,” one person tweeted on 28 December, while another said: “Emily in Paris had a Kir Royale so I had a Kir Royale.”

According to someone else, although they dislike Emily as a character, they too have been influenced by the drink. “Still hate everything about Emily but I will try ordering a Kir Royale sometime soon #EmilyInParis,” they wrote.

“As much as you love/hate watching Emily in Paris, Kir Royale is the new ‘it’ drink thanks to Emily,” another viewer said.

Others have predicted that the drink’s popularity will only continue to grow as we head into the new year, with many sharing a belief that the Kir Royale is going to be “the drink of 2023”.

“Making the call now: The Kir Royale is the drink of 2023,” one person tweeted, while someone else said: “Kir Royale really gonna be the cocktail of 2023, aren’t they.”

TikTok has also seen an influx of videos from users making the relatively easy cocktail. One user, @coralakey, who declared the Kir Royale the “new Negroni sbagliato,” shared a video showing her attempt after noting that it looks “so easy and delicious”.

As for the history of the drink, Post Magazine notes that crème de cassis became popular shortly after it was introduced in France in 1841, where it was often mixed with white wine.

The drink saw a resurgence during and after World War II, when Félix Kir, a Catholic priest, member of the French Resistance and mayor of Dijon, is said to have combined the available dry white wine, Aligoté, with the liqueur “in an attempt to mimic the colour of Burgundy’s classic reds” after Nazis confiscated Burgundy’s red wines, according to VinePair.

When the blackcurrant liqueur is mixed with white wine, it is referred to as a Kir. The cocktail that sees crème de cassis mixed with champagne has become known as the Kir Royale.