Name: Imitation Brandy
Ingredients: 10 gallons Malt Spirits; 1 pint Tincture of bitter Almonds; Coloring (as needed); ¼ pound finely pulverized Charcoal; 1 pound finely ground rice

Why it works: Almond and rice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,456 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Imitation Brandy

Ingredients

10 gallons Malt Spirits
1 pint Tincture of bitter Almonds
Coloring (as needed)
¼ pound finely pulverized Charcoal
1 pound finely ground rice

Directions

Make the mixture

In a large container, combine 10 gallons of Malt Spirits with 1 pint of Tincture of bitter Almonds and sufficient coloring.
In a separate bowl, mix ¼ pound of finely pulverized charcoal and 1 pound of finely ground rice.
Add this mixture to the Malt Spirits and stir well.

Infuse and strain

Let it infuse for 15 days, stirring frequently.
After 15 days, strain the mixture to remove solids.
The resulting liquid will have a flavor similar to Brandy.

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.

Almond + ricetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,456 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Malt + ricetop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together29 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
Spirit + almondtop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together143 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Malt + almondtop 25% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together13 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
Malt + spirittop 27% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together16 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

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

What each ingredient does

Malt spirits: Provides the alcoholic base that the flavorings are steeped in.
Tincture of bitter almonds: Supplies the main aroma and flavor that makes the spirit resemble brandy.
Finely pulverized charcoal: Adsorbs colour and impurities, helping clarify the liquid during infusion.
Finely ground rice: Adds a little body and helps the finer solids settle out during straining.