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Gin Punch

A chilled gin-based punch with maraschino, lemon, syrup, and seltzer water.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Gin and syrup match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 127 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Gin Punch

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine the gin, maraschino, lemon juice, and infused lemon rind.

  2. Add the strong syrup and seltzer water, stirring gently.

  3. Chill the punch with ice for one hour before serving.

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.

  1. Gin + syruptop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together127 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  2. Lemon + syruptop 20% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together2,235 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  3. Gin + lemontop 23% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together306 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Genuine old gin
Provides the spirit base and the main aroma of the punch.
Maraschino
Adds sweetness and a distinct cherry-almond aroma.
Lemon juice
Adds acidity that brightens the punch and balances the syrup's sweetness.
Strong syrup
Adds sweetness and body to balance the alcohol and acid.
Seltzer water
Adds carbonation and dilution, making the punch lighter.

The step that matters

Chilling with ice for one hour. Cold temperatures slow dilution and carbonation loss, so the punch stays lively. Adding ice too early or letting it sit too long can over-dilute the drink and flatten the seltzer.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (gin, syrup):

  1. Limefits about as well
  2. Lemonthe original
  3. Vanillafits about as well
  4. Cherryfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against gin, syrup. 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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