Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Blackberry Cordial
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syrup
In a large pot, combine the mashed blackberries, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground allspice, and ground nutmeg. Mix well and boil slowly for 30 minutes.
Strain the mixture to extract the juice.
For each pint of juice, add ½ pound of loaf sugar and boil for an additional 30 minutes.
Finish and seal
Once cooled, stir in 1 quart of brandy and seal the mixture.
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.
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.
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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Clove + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cinnamon + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,536 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Allspice + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,331 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Blackberries
- Provide the main fruit juice, flavour and colour for the cordial.
- Loaf sugar
- Adds sweetness and body, and helps preserve the cordial.
- Brandy
- Adds alcohol that preserves the cordial and carries the spice aromas.
- Ground cinnamon
- Contributes warm aromatic flavour to the cordial.
- Ground cloves
- Contributes strong warm aromatic flavour to the cordial.
The step that matters
Cooling before adding the brandy. Alcohol boils off and its flavour is lost when added to hot liquid, so the mixture should cool first to keep the brandy's character and strength in the finished cordial.
“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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