Why it works: Currant and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,057 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Currant Wine
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Combine 3 quarts of water, 2 quarts of currant juice, and 4 pounds of powdered sugar in a large container.
Let the mixture stand for 2 to 3 days.
Add flavourings and ferment
If making 10 gallons, add 3 quarts of brandy and 1 gallon of raspberry juice mixed with 4 pounds of sugar.
Put the mixture into a cask and insert the bung, but do not seal it tightly until the hissing stops, which may take up to 2 weeks.
Once the hissing has stopped, seal the cask tightly and let it stand for 12 months.
Check sweetness
Taste the wine after 4 to 5 months to check sweetness, as it can vary by season.
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.
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Currant + brandytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,057 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Currant + raspberrytop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together366 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl benzoate (fruity, sweet).
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Brandy + raspberrytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together235 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-hex-3-en-1-ol (freshly cut grass green and herbaceous notes).
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Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + raspberrytop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,101 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Sugar and brandy barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 11,939 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Currant juice
- Provides the main fruit flavour and acidity of the wine.
- Powdered sugar
- Supplies the sugar that yeast ferments into alcohol and carbonation.
- Brandy
- Raises the alcohol content and helps preserve the wine.
The step that matters
Leaving the bung loose during fermentation. While the hissing continues, carbon dioxide from active fermentation needs to escape. Sealing the cask too early can build pressure and risk bursting it or souring the wine.
Swap the raspberry
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (currant, sugar, brandy):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits about as well
- Raspberrythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against currant, sugar, brandy. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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