Eggnog

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. Syrup + sugartop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together5,842 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

2. Ginger + macetop 11% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together2,152 recipes

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

3. Syrup + gingertop 16% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together950 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

4. Sugar + gingertop 17% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together14,054 recipes

   Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).

5. Milk + macetop 17% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together3,346 recipes

   Shared aroma: sabinene (woody, terpenic).

Sugar and ginger barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 14,054 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

Egg

Adds richness and body, giving the drink a creamy, thickened texture.

Milk

Forms the creamy base of the drink and adds moisture and mild sweetness.

Don't care syrup

Provides sweetness and flavour to balance the egg and milk.

Swap the mace

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (syrup, egg, sugar, milk, ginger):

1. Cinnamonfits better
2. Cardamomfits better
3. Nutmegfits better
4. Macethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against syrup, egg, sugar, milk, ginger. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.