Why it works: Orange and lemon 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 ↓
Cardinal Punch
Ingredients
Directions
Make syrup as for Lemon Ice.
Add fruit juice and tea.
Freeze to a mush.
Add strong liquors and continue freezing.
Serve in frappé glasses.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 6 ingredients. The other 3 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 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Brandy | not in our table | 0 |
| Tea | 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.
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Orange + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,634 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Lemon + teatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together610 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Orange + teatop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together333 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Orange + brandytop 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).
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
- Sugar
- Dissolves into the water to make a syrup that sweetens the punch and keeps it from freezing rock-hard.
- Brandy
- Alcohol that stays soft when frozen, so the punch remains scoopable rather than solid.
- Orange juice
- Adds fruit flavour and acidity, and its sugars and water help shape the frozen texture.
- Lemon juice
- Adds sharp acidity that balances the sweetness of the syrup and juices.
The step that matters
Add strong liquors and continue freezing. Alcohol lowers the freezing point, so adding the brandy and Curaçao too early or stopping too soon can leave the mixture too soft or unevenly frozen. Freezing must continue after they are stirred in so the punch firms to a mush again.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, orange, brandy, tea):
- Vanillafits better
- Lemonthe original
- Peachfits about as well
- Figfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, orange, brandy, tea. 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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