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Rhubarb Citrus Punch

A chilled punch made with rhubarb, citrus juices, sugar, ginger ale, and optional strawberries.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Orange and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,634 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Rhubarb Citrus Punch

Ingredients

Directions

Make the rhubarb base

  1. Simmer rhubarb and water in a kettle until rhubarb is soft.

  2. Cool the mixture and strain.

  3. Measure 4 cups of juice and return to the kettle with the sugar. Heat until the sugar dissolves.

  4. Add the orange and lemon juices.

Serve

  1. Just before serving, add ginger ale and strawberries if desired, then pour over ice.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

174Calories
3 gProtein
1 gFat
44 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 7 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Orange1 medium (131g)62
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Strawberry1 cup (152g)49
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Rhubarbnot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

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.

  1. Orange + lemontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together10,634 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  2. Orange + gingertop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,833 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

  3. Lemon + gingertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,154 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Rhubarb + orangetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together299 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).

  5. Rhubarb + gingertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together241 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Rhubarb
Provides the tart flavour and the main colour and body of the punch.
Sugar
Sweetens the punch and balances the sourness of the rhubarb and citrus juices.
Orange juice
Adds sweet citrus flavour and aroma with extra fruit acidity.
Lemon juice
Adds sharp acidity that brightens the flavour and balances the sweetness.
Ginger ale or 7-up
Adds carbonation for lightness and a sweet, mildly spiced or lemony flavour.

The step that matters

Add the ginger ale just before serving. Carbonation escapes quickly from warm or long-standing liquid, so adding the chilled soda last keeps the punch fizzy and crisp.

Swap the rhubarb

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, orange, lemon, ginger):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Allspicefits better
  3. Corianderfits better
  4. Rhubarbthe original

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

“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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