Name: Ham-infused Cognac Cocktail
Ingredients: Ibérico ham leg; 1.5 liters of Hennessey VS Cognac; 1 quart of wildflower honey; 1/3 cup water; three large cinnamon sticks; 2 cups Manchego cheese, grated; Rosemary for garnish

Why it works: Cinnamon and rosemary match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 155 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Ham-infused Cognac Cocktail

Ingredients

Directions

Luxe ham cognac
Infuse an Ibérico ham leg in 1.5 liters of Hennessey VS Cognac for two weeks, covered and refrigerated.
Honey Syrup
Heat 1 quart of wildflower honey with 1/3 cup of water and three large sticks of Caribbean cinnamon (cannella) to a simmer.
Cover and let cool.
Put through a fine mesh strainer and refrigerate.
Manchego Tuilles
Shave aged Manchego onto a silpat or parchment paper to create a sheet of 1/4-inch thick cheese.
Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes until light brown and crisped.
Let cool and cut into 2-in. by 6-in. strips.
Keep in an airtight container at room temperature.
Combine 2 oz. luxe ham cognac, lime juice, and 1 oz. honey syrup in a cocktail shaker
Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with the Manchego tuile across the top of the glass and a sprig of fresh rosemary

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

429Calories

34 gProtein

24 gFat

21 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 8 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Pork	100g cooked	242
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Honey	1 tbsp (21g)	64
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6
Rosemary	1 tsp dried (1.2g)	4
Cognac	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	0
Manchego	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).

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.

Cinnamon + rosemarytop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together155 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Manchego + cheesetop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together93 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
Honey + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,446 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
Honey + cheesetop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together259 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity).
Honey + rosemarytop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together238 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

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

Swap the cinnamon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ham, honey, manchego, cheese, rosemary):

Thymefits better
Pepperfits better
Clovefits better
Cinnamonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against ham, honey, manchego, cheese, rosemary. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.