Why it works: Lemon and orange 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 ↓
Lemon Brandy
Ingredients
Directions
Infuse the brandy
Combine one pint brandy, the rind of two lemons, two ounces loaf sugar, and a quarter pint water.
Peel the lemons, careful not to get any of the white pith.
Put the rind into a bottle with the brandy, and let it infuse for twenty-four hours, then strain it.
Sweeten and finish
Boil the sugar and water for a few moments.
Skim the syrup, and when cold add it to the brandy.
Oranges may be used in the same manner.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Brandy | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | 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.
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.
-
Lemon + orangetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,634 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Brandy + orangetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,706 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Brandy + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + orangetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and lemon 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
- Brandy
- Forms the base that draws flavour out of the lemon rind during infusion.
- Lemons
- Their rind oils supply the main lemon aroma and flavour to the brandy.
- Loaf sugar
- Sweetens the finished liquor when dissolved into a syrup.
The step that matters
Peel the lemons, avoiding the white pith. The white pith is bitter, while the yellow zest carries the aromatic oils. Peeling only the zest keeps the infused brandy fragrant rather than harshly bitter.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (brandy, sugar, orange):
- Vanillafits better
- Apricotfits better
- Figfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against brandy, sugar, orange. 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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