Name: Porch Swing
Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) gin (Hendricks is specified; Tanqueray was used); 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) Pimm’s No. 1 liqueur (; 4 ounces (1/2 cup) homemade lemonade (recipe below); 7-Up or another lemon/lime soda; 10 paper-thin half moon slices of cucumber (I used an “English”, unwaxed, cucumber); 1 part freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1 part simple syrup, or to taste (I will use perhaps 1/2 or 3/4 of a part next time, see Note above); 2 parts water

Why it works: Gin and syrup match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 127 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Porch Swing

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) gin (Hendricks is specified; Tanqueray was used)
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) Pimm’s No. 1 liqueur (
4 ounces (1/2 cup) homemade lemonade (recipe below)
7-Up or another lemon/lime soda
10 paper-thin half moon slices of cucumber (I used an “English”, unwaxed, cucumber)
1 part freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 part simple syrup, or to taste (I will use perhaps 1/2 or 3/4 of a part next time, see Note above)
2 parts water

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

88Calories

2 gProtein

0 gFat

24 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 7 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced (52g)	16
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Gin	not in our table	0
Syrup	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By smittenkitchen. Recipe from Open Recipes.

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.

Gin + syruptop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together127 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Lemon + cucumbertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,067 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Gin + cucumbertop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together23 recipes

Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
Lemon + syruptop 20% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together2,235 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Gin + lemontop 23% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together306 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

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

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (gin, cucumber, syrup):

Limefits better
Cherryfits about as well
Lemonthe original
Pineapplefits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against gin, cucumber, syrup. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.