Why it works: Cinnamon and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,536 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Cherry Brandy
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the cherries
Pound the black cherries in a mortar.
Add a little cinnamon and allspice.
Cover the cherries with French brandy and let them stand for two months.
Strain and finish
Strain the mixture through a flannel bag.
Mix two parts of French brandy with one part of plain syrup.
Add a little noyeau to taste.
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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Cinnamon + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,536 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cinnamon + syruptop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together990 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Cinnamon + brandytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,199 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Allspice + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together931 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Brandy + syruptop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together561 recipes
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Black cherries
- Provide the main fruit flavour and colour that the brandy extracts over time.
- French brandy
- Acts as the solvent that draws out flavour and aroma from the cherries and spices.
- Plain syrup
- Adds sweetness to balance the sharp alcohol and fruit acidity.
The step that matters
Letting the cherries stand for two months. Flavour extraction from the cherries and spices into the brandy is slow, so rushing this stage leaves the liquor weak and thin-tasting.
Swap the allspice
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cinnamon, brandy, syrup):
- Nutmegfits better
- Clovefits better
- Cardamomfits about as well
- Allspicethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cinnamon, brandy, 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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