Why it works: Raisin and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,768 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Raisin Wine
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the liquid
Boil the water with hops for 15 minutes.
Strain the mixture and let it cool.
Pour the cooled mixture over the raisins.
Ferment and age
Let it stand for 6 weeks, stirring daily.
Press the fruit and transfer the liquid into a cask.
Rack it in 6 weeks or when it is clear.
Add a bottle of brandy for every 6 gallons.
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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Raisin + brandytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,768 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Hops + brandytop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-hex-3-en-1-ol (freshly cut grass green and herbaceous notes).
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Hops + raisintop 84% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together0 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Malaga raisins
- Supply the sugars and fruit flavour that the wine ferments and carries.
- Hops
- Add bitterness and aroma that balance the sweetness of the raisins.
- French brandy
- Raises the alcohol content and helps preserve the finished wine.
The step that matters
Let it stand for 6 weeks, stirring daily. Stirring keeps the raisin solids in contact with the liquid and prevents a crust from forming on top. Fermentation needs steady contact and air exchange to proceed evenly.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (hops, brandy):
- Applefits better
- Grapefits better
- Peachfits better
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against hops, brandy. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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