Name: Ballet Russe
Ingredients: 2 shots Stolichnaya Red vodka; 3/4 shot De Kuyper Crème de Cassis; 1 shot Fresh lime juice; 1/2 shot Lemon juice; 3 teaspoons Caster sugar; Glass: Martini

Why it works: Lime and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,289 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Ballet Russe

Ingredients

Directions

Shake with cubed ice and strain into a martini glass.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

72Calories

1 gProtein

0 gFat

20 gCarbs

Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 3 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Vodka	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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.

Lime + lemontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,289 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Vodka + limetop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together225 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Vodka + sugartop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together327 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together53,532 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Vodka + lemontop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together264 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

Lemon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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

Vodka: Forms the spirit base and supplies the drink's alcohol strength with little flavour of its own.
Crème de cassis: Adds sweetness, deep berry flavour and colour.
Fresh lime juice: Provides acidity that brightens the drink and balances the sweetness.
Lemon juice: Adds further acidity for a fresher, sharper finish.
Caster sugar: Sweetens the drink and balances the acidity from the citrus juices.

“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.