Name: One Gallon Roman Punch
Ingredients: half pints lemon juice; one pint of rum; two quarts water; three pounds sugar; a pint of brandy; two lemons grated on sugar

Why it works: Rum and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,058 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

One Gallon Roman Punch

Ingredients

Directions

Combine one and a half pints lemon juice, the rind of two lemons grated on sugar, half a pint of brandy, one pint of rum, two quarts water, and three pounds sugar.
Add a peck of ice to freeze it in summer.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

93Calories

0 gProtein

0 gFat

16 gCarbs

Counts 3 of 5 ingredients. The other 2 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
Rum	1/2 oz (15ml)	32
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Water	not in our table	0
Brandy	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.

By Gibson, Marietta Fauntleroy Hollyday, "Mrs. C. H. Gibson.". Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

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.

Rum + brandytop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,058 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Rum + sugartop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together2,908 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together53,532 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together11,939 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Lemon + rumtop 19% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,341 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

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

Sugar: Dissolves into the liquid to sweeten and balance the acidity.
Lemon juice: Supplies sharp acidity that balances the sweetness.
Rum: Adds alcohol, flavour and aroma to the punch.
Brandy: Adds warm aroma and flavour alongside the rum.
Lemons: Grated rind steeped in sugar releases aromatic citrus oil into the punch.