Name: Black Currant Cough Mixture
Ingredients: 2 fluid drachms Ipecacuanha Wine; a sufficient quantity of Solution of Cochineal; 1 fluid drachm Spirit of Nitrous Ether; 4 fluid drachms Syrup of Black Currant; 1 fluid drachm Tincture of Squill; a sufficient quantity of Distilled Water to produce 2 fluid ounces

Why it works: Wine and spirit work together. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 701 recipes. Both carry isoamyl acetate, which smells banana, fruity. The science ↓

Black Currant Cough Mixture

Ingredients

2 fluid drachms Ipecacuanha Wine
a sufficient quantity of Solution of Cochineal
1 fluid drachm Spirit of Nitrous Ether
4 fluid drachms Syrup of Black Currant
1 fluid drachm Tincture of Squill
a sufficient quantity of Distilled Water to produce 2 fluid ounces

Directions

Mix all ingredients together until well combined.
Add distilled water to reach a total volume of 2 fluid ounces.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Wine + spirittop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together701 recipes

Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
Spirit + syruptop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together141 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Spirit + black curranttop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl butyrate (apple, fruity).
Wine + black curranttop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together26 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
Syrup + black curranttop 26% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together20 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).