Why it works: Sugar and orange are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 20% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,212 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Orange Soda I
Serves 5Ingredients
Directions
Make the syrup
Combine the water and sugar in a 2‑quart or larger saucepan.
Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves into a syrup, then remove from the heat.
Stir the orange juice concentrate into the syrup.
Using a funnel, transfer the syrup to an empty bottle and let it cool.
Serve
To make the finished syrup, mix one volume of syrup with one volume of carbonated water.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 4 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Syrup | 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.
-
Sugar + orangetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and orange barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,212 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
- White granulated sugar
- Provides sweetness and body to the syrup, and helps preserve it.
- Orange juice concentrate or orange syrup
- Supplies the orange flavour and aroma.
- Carbonated water
- Adds the fizz that makes the drink sparkling when mixed with syrup.
The step that matters
Stir the sugar until fully dissolved. If undissolved sugar remains when the syrup is cooled and bottled, it can crystallise or settle, and the syrup will taste grainy and be less uniformly sweet.
“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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