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Alterative, Tonic, and Cathartic Bitters

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Cherry and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 474 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓

Alterative, Tonic, and Cathartic Bitters

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Combine whisky and water in a large jar.

  2. Add all dry ingredients, pulverized.

  3. Shake the mixture every day for a week.

  4. After a week, it will be ready for use.

  5. Take 1 to 2 tablespoons at morning and evening meals.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Cherry + clovetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together474 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Rye + cherrytop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together36 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  3. Rye + clovetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together53 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  4. Rye + whiskytop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together129 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  5. Whisky + clovetop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together170 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

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

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rye, whisky, cherry):

  1. Cinnamonfits about as well
  2. Gingerfits about as well
  3. Clovethe original
  4. Nutmegfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against rye, whisky, cherry. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

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