Cider + Mace
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 658 recipes, and they share 2 flavor molecules: the top 18% of all ingredient pairs.
Do cider and mace go together?
Yes. 658 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 2 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 18% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
They overlap on 2 flavor molecules: 6% of mace's 34. Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What each one brings
cider
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 55% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for mace. It carries 106 molecules mace doesn't have.
mace
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 1% for cider. It carries 32 molecules cider doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Apple: the best fit for both, top 2% of pairs with cider, top 15% with mace.
- Clove: top 14% of pairs with cider, top 6% with mace.
- Allspice: top 14% of pairs with cider, top 7% with mace.
- Nutmeg: top 20% of pairs with cider, top 4% with mace.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with cider and mace
Mostly mains: 24 of the 46 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: cider has 106 molecules mace doesn't, and mace has 32 that cider doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 2 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 106 only in cider and the 32 only in mace.
Cider and mace questions
Do cider and mace go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 658 recipes, and they share 2 flavor molecules: the top 18% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do cider and mace taste good together?
They overlap on 2 flavor molecules: 6% of mace's 34. Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with cider and mace?
Apple is the best third ingredient: top 2% of pairs with cider and top 15% with mace. Clove and allspice also fit both.
What can you make with cider and mace?
Mostly mains: 24 of the 46 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Mince Meat, Cucumber Pickles, Cucumber Sweet Pickle, Apple Butter.
Can I use mace instead of cider?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: cider has 106 molecules mace doesn't, and mace has 32 that cider doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
Compare other ingredients
Ranks compare this pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. Molecule counts are what the studies and databases we aggregate have reported for each ingredient: a measure of coverage, not a full census. How we score pairs
Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). Compound similarity analysis: Cider vs Mace. https://compkitchen.com/compare/cider-vs-mace. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_cider_vs_mace_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Cider vs Mace},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/cider-vs-mace},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.