Why it works: Currant and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,057 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Currant Wine
Ingredients
Directions
Make the must
Combine 1 gallon of currant juice with 2 gallons of water and 35 lbs of moist sugar.
Alternatively, for every 3 pints of fruit, add 1 quart of water and bruise the fruit.
Strain the mixture after 24 hours and add 1 lb of sugar for every quart of liquid.
Remove any scum that rises in the first 3-4 days before transferring to a barrel.
If using homegrown fruit, add it as it ripens, keeping track of amounts added.
For another method, soak 5 quarts of currants and 1 pint of raspberries in 2 gallons of water overnight, then squeeze and strain the mixture.
Add 4 lbs of good quality Lisbon sugar for every gallon of liquid, then transfer to a barrel and lightly seal it.
Brandy and storage
After two weeks, add 1 bottle of brandy for every 4 gallons of wine and seal the cask tightly.
After 2-3 days, add 1 bottle of brandy for every 4 gallons and seal tightly, leaving the peg out for a few days.
Store for 3-4 years for best flavor.
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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Currant + brandytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,057 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Brandy + winetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,427 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Currant + winetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,323 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Currant + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,256 recipes
Sugar and brandy barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 11,939 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
- Currants
- Provide the main fruit flavor, acidity and color of the wine.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast to produce alcohol and adds sweetness to balance the fruit's tartness.
- Brandy
- Raises the alcohol content and stabilizes the wine against further fermentation.
- Raspberries
- Add extra fruit aroma and flavor to the wine.
The step that matters
Adding brandy at the right time. Brandy stops fermentation by raising alcohol content. Adding it too early can halt the yeast before the sugar is used, leaving the wine sweet and underdeveloped, while the timing and seal affect how the wine matures.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, brandy, wine):
- Vanillafits better
- Apricotfits better
- Applefits about as well
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, brandy, wine. 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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