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Oxford Punch

A punch made with cognac brandy, old Jamaica rum, orange shrub, sherry, Capillaire, boiling water, and calf's-foot jelly.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 7 ingredients
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Oxford Punch

Why it works: Cognac brandy and rum share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 68 recipes. Both carry 2-methoxy-4-propylphenol, which smells allspice, anise. The science ↓

Oxford Punch

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine the Cognac brandy, old Jamaica rum, orange shrub, sherry, and Capillaire.

  2. Pour in the boiling water and stir well.

  3. Add the calf's-foot jelly and mix until fully dissolved.

  4. Serve chilled or over ice.

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.

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.

  1. Cognac brandy + rumtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together68 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-propylphenol (allspice, anise).

  2. Rum + sherrytop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together146 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

  3. Cognac brandy + sherrytop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together41 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

  4. Rum + orangetop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together801 recipes

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

  5. Orange + sherrytop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together823 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

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

What each ingredient does

Cognac brandy
Provides the base spirit, adding warmth and depth of flavor to the punch.
Old jamaica rum
Adds rich, molasses-like sweetness and aromatic complexity to the punch.
Orange shrub
Brings acidity and citrus flavor that balances the sweetness and strong spirits.
Calf's-foot jelly
Gelatin that adds body and a silky, slightly thickened texture to the punch.

The step that matters

Dissolving the calf's-foot jelly. Gelatin only sets or thickens properly when fully dissolved in warm liquid. Stirring until no granules remain prevents clumps and an uneven texture throughout the punch.

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cognac brandy, rum, sherry):

  1. Pineapplefits better
  2. Vanillafits better
  3. Applefits better
  4. Orangethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cognac brandy, rum, sherry. 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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