Why it works: Brandy and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 19% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,939 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Cherry Brandy
Ingredients
Directions
Add the bruised cherries and crushed sugar to the Brandy.
Let the mixture stand until the desired strength and flavor are obtained.
Rack off or strain the mixture as desired for use.
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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Brandy + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Brandy and sugar 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
- Brandy
- Provides the alcohol base that extracts flavor from the cherries and sets the strength of the finished drink.
- Wild black cherries
- Release their juice and flavor compounds into the brandy as they steep, adding fruitiness and colour.
- Crushed sugar
- Adds sweetness and rounds out the harsh edge of the alcohol as the mixture stands.
The step that matters
Letting the mixture stand. Flavor and strength develop gradually as alcohol draws compounds out of the cherries. Stopping too early leaves the brandy weak and thin, while the sugar must fully dissolve to balance the taste.
“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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