Blackberry Kir Royale

In Drinking French, David Lebowitz calls the Kir cocktail a gateway drink for many aperitif enthusiasts. "The clever combination of brisk white wine and black currant liqueur is named after Félix Kir, who was the mayor of Dijon, the capital of Burgundy," he writes. Kir was a champion of créme de cassis, the success of which Lebowitz credits with revitalizing the economy of the region following World War II.

While Aligoté (a dry, acidic white wine from Burgundy) is traditional in a Kir cocktail, this riff from Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee, calls for dry Champagne; Lebowitz also suggests using a crémant de Bourgogne, to keep the Kir Royale drink true to its roots.