Name: Molasses Beer
Ingredients: six quarts of water; two quarts of west india molasses; two table-spoonfuls of ground ginger; one table-spoonful of cream of tartar; four raisins into each bottle; ginger

Why it works: Ginger and raisin are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,242 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓

Molasses Beer

Ingredients

six quarts of water
two quarts of west india molasses
two table-spoonfuls of ground ginger
one table-spoonful of cream of tartar
four raisins into each bottle
ginger

Directions

Make the mixture

Add two quarts of West India molasses, half a pint of brewer's yeast, two tablespoonfuls of ground ginger, and one tablespoonful of cream of tartar to six quarts of water. Stir all together.
Let stand for twelve hours.

Bottle and store

Bottle the mixture, putting three or four raisins into each bottle.
Optionally substitute the juice and grated peel of a large lemon for one spoonful of ginger.
Store for two or three days.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

173Calories

1 gProtein

6 gFat

32 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Grape	1/2 cup (76g)	62
Molasses	1 tbsp (20g)	58
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
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.

By Eliza Leslie. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg).

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.

Ginger + raisintop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,242 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Molasses + raisintop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,577 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together4,116 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Molasses + creamtop 20% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together1,408 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Cream + raisintop 26% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,642 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

West india molasses: Provides the main sweetness and dark flavour, and feeds the yeast fermentation.
Brewer's yeast (in the method): Ferments the sugars, producing carbonation and the beer's alcohol.
Cream of tartar: Adds acidity, which helps keep the mixture stable and gives a tangy edge.