Why it works: Basil and gin work together. They rank in the top 22% of all ingredient pairs, and 6 recipes mention both. Both carry myrcene, which smells balsamic, herbaceous. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 1Ingredients
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Put the sliced strawberries, sugar, and basil leaves into a cocktail shaker and muddle them until the strawberries break down and release their juice.
Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and the gin to the shaker.
Fill the shaker with ice and shake hard for about 15 seconds until well chilled.
Strain the mixture into a chilled glass filled with fresh ice.
Top with the chilled club soda, adding it slowly, and stir gently once before serving.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Basil + gintop 22% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together6 recipes
Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
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Lemon + basiltop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,820 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Sugar + lemontop 10% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together53,530 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Lemon + gintop 12% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together306 recipes
Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
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Sugar + gintop 17% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together344 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar and lemon share little aroma chemistry, yet 53,530 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
The Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
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