Name: Nutmeg, Alum, Cloves, Etc.
Ingredients: 1 good-sized nutmeg; 1 lump of alum (same size as nutmeg); 1 teaspoon cloves; ½ pint brandy or good whiskey

Why it works: Nutmeg and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,686 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Nutmeg, Alum, Cloves, Etc.

Ingredients

1 good-sized nutmeg
1 lump of alum (same size as nutmeg)
1 teaspoon cloves
½ pint brandy or good whiskey

Directions

Pulverize the nutmeg, alum, and cloves together.
Add the pulverized mixture to ½ pint of brandy or whiskey.
Shake well before using.
Take 1 tablespoonful 3 times a day.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Nutmeg + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together8,686 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Clove + brandytop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,362 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Nutmeg + brandytop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together4,311 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).