Flavored homemade cultured butter?

I would be hesitant to use Bergamot essential oil. According the the Wikipedia article, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergamot_orangethere are some health issues in consuming too much of citrus bergamot. If you don't know the concentration, or the carrier oil, it seems a little risky. I remember last winter, Fairway stocked some citrus bergamots. I almost purchased them, then read up on them. They were rather expensive. I don't think I bought them in the end. Apparently there is also an herbal bergamot which could also have been the flavoring in that butter. Possibly if you asked at the restaurant, they would be willing to provide a little information as to how the butter was flavored. Given the food safety issues listed, it seems like a little research is in order.

I have made cultured butter quite a few times. I’ve only flavored it twice, but only after the butter was made. I’ve never seen a recipe that calls for flavoring before culturing. It may be possible, but I’d be leery of that experiment.

Do report back if you try it.

I have no experience along these lines but I think I would start by just trying to work some of the essence of interest into supermarket butter and see if I liked the results. It would not guarantee that you would like it if you added the essence during culturing but it might give you a clue. It also could help you decide how much essence to add.

I'm sorry you haven't received an answer to this yet AK, I'm bumping it back up to the top in hopes that will get more eyes on it!