Oleo-Saccharum

Author Notes

Citrus peels plus sugar equals magic—who knew? When you mash the two together and let that marinate for a while (plan ahead), the citrus peels’ bright, fragrant oils come out to play. Latin for “oil sugar,” oleo saccharum is classically used for cocktails, with alcohol or not, but it’s just as welcome in olive-oil vinaigrettes or even drizzled over a fat scoop of ice cream. Find organic citrus, if you can, and scrub well before using. In this bubbly Reviver Royal recipe, Drinks52 resident John deBary recommends: “Wash the grapefruits thoroughly with soap, water, and a clean scrubby sponge. Towel dry.” Now that’s a good task for a loving partner or hyper kid. When it comes to the type of citrus—well, what do you like and what do you have around? This recipe is forgiving and flexible, so follow what calls to you. For a focused flavor, you could opt for a single fruit, like orange, clementine, lemon, lime, or grapefruit. (Think: orange oleo saccharum blended into a vanilla milkshake, or lime oleo saccharum stirred with mezcal and a gigantic ice cube.) Personally, I love a mix of fruits—it’s sweet meets sour, sunny meets bright. Try lime plus grapefruit, dissolved into seltzer, for a rejuvenating limeade. Or lemon plus orange, drizzled over roasted carrots, topped with flaky salt and chile flakes. Like the citrus, the timing is up to you. The shorter 5 hours will yield a subtler citrus flavor, while the longer 24 hours delivers peak zing. Just make sure that when you peel the peel, you avoid as much of the bitter white pith as possible. The colorful, saturated zest is what we’re after. How would you put oleo saccharum to good use? Share ideas in the comments below. —Emma Laperruque