Name: Gin Punch
Ingredients: ½ pint old gin; ⅓ cup maraschino liqueur; juice of 2 lemons; rind of ½ lemon; 4 oz. syrup; 1 quart German seltzer water; ice

Why it works: Gin and syrup match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 127 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Gin Punch

Ingredients

Directions

Make the punch

In a large pitcher, combine the gin, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, lemon rind, and syrup.
Stir well to mix all the ingredients.
Add the seltzer water and stir gently to combine.

Serve

Serve over ice.

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.

Gin + syruptop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together127 recipes

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

Smell alikelow

Cooked together2,235 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Gin + lemontop 23% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together306 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

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

What each ingredient does

Old gin: Provides the spirit base and the main alcoholic strength of the punch.
Maraschino liqueur: Adds sweetness and a distinct cherry-like aroma to the punch.
Lemon juice: Adds acidity that brightens the punch and balances the sweetness of the syrup.
Syrup: Adds sweetness that balances the acidity of the lemon juice.
German seltzer water: Adds carbonation, giving the punch lightness and a fizzy texture.