Why it works: Lemon and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Effervescent Lemonade Powders
sixteen portionsIngredients
Directions
Prepare the powders
Pound and mix together one-half pound loaf sugar, one ounce carbonate of soda, and three drops oil of lemon.
Divide the mixture into sixteen parts and wrap each in white paper.
Take one ounce tartaric acid, divide into sixteen parts, wrapping each in blue paper.
Serve
Dissolve one portion of each kind in half a glass of water, mix, and drink while effervescing.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
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.
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Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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
- Carbonate of soda
- Reacts with the tartaric acid to release carbon dioxide, which makes the drink fizz.
- Tartaric acid
- Provides the sharp acidity and supplies the acid that reacts with the carbonate to create fizz.
- Loaf sugar (in the method)
- Adds sweetness to balance the sharpness of the acid.
The step that matters
Keep the powders dry until use. Carbonate and tartaric acid react as soon as moisture is present, so the fizz is released early if they are exposed to damp air or mixed with water before serving. Wrapping each portion separately keeps the two powders apart until the drink is made.
“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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