Why it works: Clove and cassia match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 194 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Cherry Brandy
Ingredients
Directions
Make the infusion
In a large cask, mix treacle, spirit (45 up.), bruised bitter almonds, cloves, and cassia. Let it sit for a month, stirring occasionally.
Add the cherries and sugar
Dissolve sugar in a little water.
Add bruised cherries and spirit (35 up.).
Macerate
Macerate for three months, stirring occasionally.
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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Clove + cassiatop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together194 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Almond + clovetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,605 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Almond + cassiatop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together48 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Spirit + clovetop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together152 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Bruised cherries
- Provide the main cherry flavour and colour as they steep in the spirit.
- Spirit
- Extracts and carries the flavour compounds from the other ingredients.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and rounds the harsh bite of the alcohol.
- Bitter almonds
- Contribute a distinctive almond aroma through their natural flavour compounds.
- Treacle
- Adds depth, dark colour and a molasses-like sweetness.
The step that matters
Macerate for three months, stirring occasionally. Flavour extraction is slow and gradual in alcohol, so the full long maceration is needed for the cherry and almond flavours to develop and mellow. Stopping early leaves the spirit harsh and thin.
“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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