Name: Fine Cinnamon. Cannelle Jine.
Ingredients: 16 pints of brandy; 2 pints of water; 2 ounces of cinnamon; zests of 2 lemons; 1 ounce of liquorice root; 2 pounds of sugar; 8 pints of water

Why it works: Cinnamon and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,950 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Fine Cinnamon. Cannelle Jine.

Ingredients

Directions

Infuse

Add 2 pints of water to 16 pints of brandy.
Break 2 ounces of cinnamon and add it to the brandy along with the zests of 2 lemons and 1 ounce of liquorice root.
Let the mixture infuse for several days.

Distill and sweeten

Distill the infused mixture.
Make the syrup by dissolving 2 pounds of sugar in 8 pints of water.
Combine the syrup with the distilled mixture and filter as needed.

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.

Cinnamon + lemontop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together7,950 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Cinnamon + sugartop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together30,779 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Brandy + cinnamontop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,199 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together53,532 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Brandy + sugartop 19% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together11,939 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Cinnamon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

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

What each ingredient does

Brandy: Forms the alcoholic base that extracts and carries the spice and citrus flavours.
Cinnamon: Provides the main warm, aromatic flavour as it infuses into the spirit.
Lemon zest: Adds bright citrus aroma and oils that lift the spirit's flavour.
Liquorice root: Contributes a sweet, earthy note and some body to the infused flavour.
Sugar: Sweetens the liqueur, balancing the alcohol and spice.