Why it works: Cinnamon and raisin are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,390 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓
Lekhchef
Ingredients
Directions
Make the drink
Combine the water and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Add the raisins to the boiling water and simmer over low heat.
Sweeten the drink to taste with sugar, stirring over very low heat to dissolve the sugar.
Remove from the heat, discard the cinnamon sticks, and let the drink cool completely.
Flavour and serve
Flavour with orange blossom water and rose water.
Refrigerate the beverage and serve very cold, with or without raisins.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 6 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Rose | 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.
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.
-
Cinnamon + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,390 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
-
Cinnamon + orangetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,437 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Cinnamon + sugartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Orange + rosetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together876 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Raisin + orangetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,684 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Cinnamon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Raisins
- Release their sugars and flavour into the water, giving the drink body and natural sweetness.
- Cinnamon sticks
- Infuse warm, woody aroma into the water as it simmers.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness, balancing the tartness of the raisins and cinnamon.
The step that matters
Let the drink cool completely before flavouring. Orange blossom and rose waters are volatile aromatics that fade with heat, so adding them to a hot drink can dull their scent. Cooling first keeps the floral character clear.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cinnamon, raisin, sugar, rose):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits about as well
- Orangethe original
- Lemonfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against cinnamon, raisin, sugar, rose. 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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