Name: Mississippi Punch
Ingredients: 1 wine-glass of brandy; ½ wine-glass of Jamaica rum; ¼ wine-glass of Bourbon whiskey; 1 tablespoon of powdered white sugar; juice of ½ small lemon; shaved ice; seasonal fruit for garnish

Why it works: Brandy and rum are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,058 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Mississippi Punch

Ingredients

Directions

In a large bar glass, combine the brandy, Jamaica rum, Bourbon whiskey, and dissolved sugar.
Add the lemon juice and fill the glass with shaved ice.
Shake well and garnish with seasonal fruit.
Serve with a straw.

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.

Brandy + rumtop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,058 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Wine + brandytop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,427 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Wine + rumtop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together230 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-propylphenol (allspice, anise).
Wine + lemontop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together6,157 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Rum + sugartop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together2,908 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

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

What each ingredient does

Brandy: Provides the main spirit base and warming, fruity character of the punch.
Jamaica rum: Adds deep, molasses-like sweetness and aroma to the spirit blend.
Bourbon whiskey: Contributes oaky, vanilla-toned flavour that rounds out the spirits.
Powdered white sugar: Sweetens the punch and balances the acidity of the lemon juice.
Lemon juice: Adds acidity that brightens the drink and cuts the sweetness of the spirits.