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 ↓
Cinnamon Cordial
Ingredients
Directions
Combine the cinnamon, proof spirit, and water in a large pot.
Heat gently to draw off the flavors, stirring occasionally.
After the mixture has simmered, strain it to remove the cinnamon.
Sweeten with sugar according to your preference.
Bottle the cordial and store it in a cool place.
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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Cinnamon + sugartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Cinnamon + spirittop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together150 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Spirit + sugartop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together602 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
- Cinnamon
- Provides the main aroma and flavor that the cordial is built around.
- Proof spirit
- Extracts flavor from the cinnamon and acts as the base liquid of the cordial.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness to balance the spice and the alcohol.
The step that matters
Heat gently to draw off the flavors. Gentle heat extracts cinnamon flavor without boiling off the alcohol, which would weaken the aroma and change the balance of the cordial.
“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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