Why it works: Allspice and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,331 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Barley Water
Ingredients
Directions
Bring 1 quart of water to a boil with a small pinch of allspice.
Stir until well combined and just about to boil.
Remove from heat and let sit on the hob for a few minutes.
In a jug, mix 1 tablespoon of moist sugar, a little nutmeg, and 2 ounces of gin or more than 1 ounce of brandy.
If using oatmeal, mix the beer in during the initial preparation.
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.
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Allspice + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,331 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Sugar + gintop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together344 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + nutmegtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together23,364 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Allspice + sugartop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,938 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Nutmeg + gintop 26% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together31 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Sugar and nutmeg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 23,364 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
Swap the allspice
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, nutmeg, gin):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Clovefits about as well
- Allspicethe original
- Cardamomfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, nutmeg, gin. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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