Why it works: Spirit and wine work together. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 701 recipes. Both carry isoamyl acetate, which smells banana, fruity. The science ↓
Allspice, Essence of
Ingredients
Directions
Gradually pour 2 teaspoons of oil of pimento into 3 ounces of spirits of wine.
Let the mixture stand for a few minutes.
Transfer it into a bottle and cork it tightly.
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.
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.
-
Spirit + winetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together701 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Oil of pimento
- Provides the main aromatic flavour, which gives the essence its spiced character.
- Spirits of wine
- Dissolves the aromatic oil so it blends into an even, clear liquid.
The step that matters
Pouring the oil gradually into the spirits. Oils do not mix readily with alcohol. Adding the oil slowly, with the spirits there to receive it, helps it disperse evenly rather than clumping or floating on the surface.
“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.
You might also like
The 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.
Wine Whey111 recipes
Raisin Wine64 recipes
Egg Wine58 recipes
Elderberry Wine51 recipes