Name: Children's Black Currant Cough Syrup
Ingredients: 5 ounces Glycerin; 5 ounces Oxymel of Squill; 2 pounds Treacle; 2 ounces Aromatic Spirit of Ammonia; 5 ounces Syrup of Balsam of Tolu; 10 ounces Syrup of Black Currant; 2 ounces Ipecacuanha Wine; Distilled Water, sufficient to produce 60 ounces

Why it works: Spirit and wine 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 ↓

Children's Black Currant Cough Syrup

Ingredients

5 ounces Glycerin
5 ounces Oxymel of Squill
2 pounds Treacle
2 ounces Aromatic Spirit of Ammonia
5 ounces Syrup of Balsam of Tolu
10 ounces Syrup of Black Currant
2 ounces Ipecacuanha Wine
Distilled Water, sufficient to produce 60 ounces

Directions

Combine Glycerin, Oxymel of Squill, Treacle, Aromatic Spirit of Ammonia, Syrup of Balsam of Tolu, Syrup of Black Currant, and Ipecacuanha Wine in a large mixing bowl.
Add Distilled Water gradually until the mixture reaches a total volume of 60 ounces.
Stir well to ensure all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

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.

Spirit + winetop 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).
Black currant + winetop 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).