Why it works: Cinnamon and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Tincture of Cinnamon
Ingredients
Directions
Pour the Cognac over the bruised cinnamon and let it steep.
In a glass, combine a teaspoon of the tincture with a lump of sugar.
Add the Sherry or Madeira to the glass.
Beat the egg yolk and mix it into the drink.
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 + sugartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Cinnamon + sherrytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together649 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + sherrytop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,141 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Cinnamon + eggtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,058 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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
- Cognac
- Extracts the aromatic oils and flavour from the cinnamon during steeping.
- Cinnamon
- Provides the main aroma and warm spiced flavour of the tincture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the strong alcohol and spice.
- Sherry or madeira
- Adds sweetness and a deeper, mellow wine flavour to the drink.
- Egg yolk
- Adds richness and body, giving the drink a smoother, creamier texture.
The step that matters
Beating the egg yolk before mixing it in. A well-beaten yolk blends smoothly into the liquid and emulsifies its fats, giving an even, creamy texture rather than streaks or lumps.
“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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