Sumith Prasad
Netflix’s romantic series ‘Emily in Paris’ revolves around Emily Cooper, a Chicago-based marketing executive who arrives in Paris to be the American voice in the French marketing company Savoir. In the third season of the show, Savoir gets shut down after the resignation of Sylvie, Julien, and Luc, who form another company. Although Emily joins Sylvie’s company, Sylvie fires her for not resigning from Savoir, leaving her without any job. Still, she doesn’t put an end to coming up with astounding and innovative ideas. Upon meeting Camille’s parents Gerard and Louise, Emily pitches the idea of Chamère. Since the couple launches Chamère as the new product of their winery Le Domaine de Lalisse, the viewers must be intrigued to know whether it is a real drink. Well, here’s what we can share about the same!
Kir Royale: The Inspiration Behind Chamère
Chamère is basically Kir Royale in a bottle or can. Kir Royale is a renowned wine cocktail that is renowned in France. It can be considered a premium version of Kir, a combination of white wine and berry-based liqueur. Although Le Domaine de Lalisse is a fictional winery and Chamère a fictional product, Kir Royale and Kir are very popular in France. The cocktails are named after Félix Kir, who served as the mayor of Dijon, located in the province of Burgundy. As per sources, the mayor used to serve the cocktail to delegates from foreign nations in the wake of World War II, popularising the drink.
Although we may not be able to buy the fictional Chamère from a real wine store, multiple wineries release “Kir Royale in a bottle,” as Louise describes the product in the third season finale. Distilleries like Lejay Lagoute, based in Dijon, had already released the bottled version of Kir Royale. In August 2022, Clinton Vineyards of Clinton Corners, New York, released Kir Royale in bottles as well. Having said that, Emily’s idea to can or bottle the cocktail is connected to the traditional French way of mostly preparing the cocktail independently rather than relying on the cocktail bottles. Emily’s obsession with canned or bottled food or drinks as an American leads Louise and Gerard to produce and release Chamère.
The Perfect Ratio: Balancing Sweetness and Fizz in Chamère
The fundamental vision behind Chamère is to can or bottle Kir Royale. The cocktail is made using crème de cassis, a dark red colored liqueur made using blackcurrants, and Champagne, the sparkling wine that originated and is produced in the eponymous region where Le Domaine de Lalisse is situated in the show. Meanwhile, a Kir is made using crème de cassis and any white wine. Since Champagne is a premium variety of wine, Kir made using the same is described as “Royale.” The cocktail is prepared by adding crème de cassis to the bottom of the glass and then topping it up with Champagne.
According to the International Bartenders Association (IBA), a Kir is made using 9 centilitres or parts of white wine and 1 centilitre or part of crème de cassis. To make Kir Royale, nine centilitres of Champagne can be added to one centilitre of crème de cassis. Although crème de cassis is the usual ingredient used to make Kir Royale, crème de framboise (raspberry liqueur) or any berry-based liqueur can also be used according to preference.
