Why it works: Raisin and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,768 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Raisin Wine
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the must
Boil six ounces of hops in eighteen gallons of water for half an hour.
Let the hop-infused water stand until it is lukewarm.
Add one and one-fourth hundredweight of well-picked and chopped raisins to the water.
Put the mixture into a tub and let it work for ten days, stirring it well three or four times a day.
Strain and age
Strain the liquid through a sieve and press the raisins thoroughly.
Transfer the liquid into a barrel.
Let it stand for four months.
Add three pounds of sugar and one quart of brandy to the barrel.
Let it stand for six or eight months.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Hop | 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.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
-
Raisin + brandytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,768 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Hops + brandytop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-hex-3-en-1-ol (freshly cut grass green and herbaceous notes).
-
Hops + sugartop 43% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and brandy barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 11,939 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
- Raisins
- Supply the fermentable sugars and fruit flavour that the yeast turns into wine.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and extra fermentable sugar, sweetening the finished wine.
- Brandy
- Raises the alcohol content and helps preserve the finished wine.
- Hops
- Add bitterness and a preserving character that balances the sweetness of the fruit.
The step that matters
Stirring during the tub fermentation. Stirring several times a day keeps the raisin cap moist and distributes yeast and sugar evenly, so fermentation proceeds uniformly and the mixture does not spoil on the surface.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (hops, sugar, brandy):
- Vanillafits better
- Applefits better
- Peachfits better
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against hops, sugar, brandy. 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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