Why it works: Sugar and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 92,116 recipes. Both carry phenylacetaldehyde, which smells hawthorne, honey. The science ↓
Ginger Beer
Ingredients
Directions
Make the brew
Pour 4 gallons boiling water over 4 pounds good brown sugar, or 2 quarts N.O. molasses.
Add 1 ounce cream tartar and a little cracked ginger.
When cool, add 1 pint good yeast.
Ferment and bottle
Let stand 24 hours, then skim and strain gently through a cloth, bottle and cork tight.
Let it be ready for use in 2 or 3 days.
Do not fill the bottles too full.
Store
Keep in a cool place.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| 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.
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Brown sugar
- Provides sweetness and the sugars that yeast ferments into flavor and carbon dioxide.
- Yeast
- Ferments the sugars, producing carbon dioxide that gives the drink its fizz.
- Cream of tartar (in the method)
- Adds acidity that gives the drink a tangy edge against the sweetness.
- Ginger (in the method)
- Supplies the spicy aroma and flavor that define the drink.
The step that matters
Bottle and cork tight. Yeast keeps producing carbon dioxide after bottling. Bottles filled too full or corked loosely can build pressure and burst, so leave headspace and seal firmly.
“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.
More ginger beer recipes
You might also like
Vegetable Soup350 recipes
Raspberry Vinegar214 recipes
Brown Coffee with Egg175 recipes
Blackberry Cordial129 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.