Sirop de cassis

Sirop de cassis is a syrup of blackcurrant which is diluted with water to make a refreshing soft drink. Poirot treats this as a general purpose drink and he seems to take this at any time of day. This is no specific time when the drink is or isn't appropriate unlike some of his other favourites. Poirot kept a range of sirops with different flavours but cassis seems most common.

Sirop de cassis (and other sirops) in the works of Christie

 * The Market Basing Mystery - when Hastings suggests tea, Poirot says that is spoken like a true Englishman. He prefers a sirop.
 * Wasps' Nest - in the absence of a sirop, Poirot takes soda water with no whisky.
 * The Mystery of the Spanish Chest - Lady Chatterton tells Poirot not to drink the martini. She has a special sirop (not cassis) that sheikhs drink in Morocco.
 * Triangle at Rhodes - Poirot orders one for after dinner
 * The Capture of Cerberus - Japp prefers whisky rather than one of Poirot's "fancy sirops". He has to take care of his stomach.
 * Third Girl
 * Ariadne Oliver offers Ribena as a substitute.
 * Later, Sir Roderick Horsefied is horrified by the offer of sirop de cassis and prefers whisky.
 * Elephants Can Remember
 * Ariadne Oliver suggests they have coffee together. Or perhaps Poirot prefers Grenadine or sirop de cassis. "But no, you do not like that, I remember." This last remark is strange unless she is recalling his turning down Ribena in Third Girl.
 * Later Poirot does drink sirop de cassis while offering Ariadne Oliver some thick coffee. He also turned down George's offer of liqeuer. The time is quarter to nine, perhaps too late for coffee for him.
 * Poirot drinks a sirop de cassis while offering Chief Superintendent Garroway a whiskey and soda.
 * After the Funeral - Poirot offers Inspector Morton beer. Poirot says he does not drink beer. "I will myself have a glass of sirop de cassis – the English they do not care for it, I have noticed."
 * Cat Among the Pigeons - Poirot offers Julia Upjohn a sirop - he has blackcurrent (cassis), raspberry, redcurrant. Julia chooses redcurrant.
 * The Clocks - Poirot offers Colin Lamb sirop de cassis but he refuses.
 * Cards on the Table - Poirot offers Anne Meredith and Rhoda Dawes sirop of blackberry (not cassis!). They dislike it very much but are too polite to refuse.
 * One, Two, Buckle My Shoe - Poirot offers Japp some but he inevitably takes whisky.
 * Three Act Tragedy - a sirop was not in Sir Charles Cartwright's conception of drinkable fluids.

Sirops in adaptations

 * Evil Under the Sun (1982 film) - Poirot asks for a creme de cassis or a sirop de banane.
 * Hickory Dickory Dock (Agatha Christie's Poirot episode) - Poirot offers Japp a sirop de banane. He refuses to give him a beer because a sirop de banane is better for the appetite. The context suggests it's an alcoholic aperitif, so it probably ought to have been called creme de banane.