Why it works: Vinegar and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 20,806 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Raspberry Shrub
Ingredients
Directions
Infuse and strain
Combine vinegar and raspberries in a container and let it sit for 24 hours.
Strain the mixture.
Sweeten and cook
Add 1 pound of sugar for each pint of liquid.
Boil the mixture for about 30 minutes, skimming off any foam.
Finish
Once cool, add ½ cup of brandy for each pint of shrub.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Vinegar + brandytop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together344 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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
- Vinegar
- Provides the sharp acidity that gives the shrub its tang and helps preserve it.
- Raspberries
- Supply the main fruit flavor, aroma and color.
- Sugar
- Balances the vinegar's sharpness and adds sweetness and body to the syrup.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and depth of flavor to the finished shrub.
The step that matters
Add the brandy only once the mixture has cooled. Heat drives off alcohol and volatile aroma compounds, so adding brandy to a hot mixture would waste much of its flavor and scent.
“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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