Why it works: Coffee and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,344 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Coffee Syrup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the coffee infusion
Add the coffee to the water in a pot.
Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and cover.
Let it sit until nearly cold.
Strain the mixture back into the pot.
Make the syrup
Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
Heat until boiling, then remove from heat and strain into a jug.
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.
-
Coffee + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,344 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
- Coffee
- Provides the coffee flavour and aroma that the syrup is built on.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the syrup and gives it body as it dissolves into the liquid.
The step that matters
Strain the mixture back into the pot. Straining after the infusion removes the fine coffee grounds, so the syrup stays clear and smooth rather than gritty.
“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.
You might also like
Brown Coffee with Egg175 recipes
Egg Coffee20 recipes
Coffee Milk12 recipes
Postum Coffee9 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.