Why it works: Clove and ginger match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,038 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Elder Wine
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the juice
Gather and pick the elder berries when fully ripe.
Place the berries in a large pot with 1 gallon of water and boil until soft.
Strain the mixture and press the berries until dry.
Return the liquid to the pot and add 4 pounds of sugar; boil for 1 hour.
Skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
Toast a piece of bread and spread yeast on both sides; add it to the liquid.
Let the mixture sit for two nights.
Cask and age
Transfer to a cask, adding a muslin bag with bruised cloves and ginger.
Allow the bag to hang in the cask, ensuring it is covered by the liquid.
Insert the bung to allow air until bubbling stops, then seal tightly.
Let it age for 12 months; if too sweet, allow more time.
Once cold and fermentation is complete, stir in 1 gallon of brandy.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Clove + brandytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,362 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Brandy + breadtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together976 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Sugar + gingertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together14,054 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Clove + breadtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,129 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Sugar and ginger barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 14,054 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
- Elder berries
- Provide the main flavour, colour and fruit body of the wine.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast to produce alcohol and balances the wine's tartness with sweetness.
- Yeast
- Ferments the sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide, driving the wine's fermentation.
- Brandy
- Raises the alcohol content and stabilises the finished wine once fermentation is complete.
The step that matters
Insert the bung and seal at the right time. Air must be allowed in while bubbling continues so fermentation can finish, then sealing prevents oxidation and spoilage. Sealing too early can trap pressure or stall fermentation, while leaving it open exposes the wine to spoilage organisms.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, clove, brandy, bread):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Allspicefits better
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, clove, brandy, bread. 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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