Oleo Saccharum
Oleo Saccharum sounds fancy but is incredibly easy to make. Translated from Latin, it simply means oil and sugar. This recipe uses citrus peels muddled with sugar to create a zingy sweetener that's perfect for adding to punches, cocktails, and baked goods.
Yield: 1 cup
Cost: $10
Equipment
- 1 Medium bowl Anything but metal
- 1 Vegetable peeler
- 1 muddler
- 1 Rubber spatula
Materials
- 1 Lb Assorted citrus fruit lemons, limes, oranges, grapfruit
- 1 Cup Demerara sugar
Instructions
- Peel the rinds off of the citrus fruit, being careful not to get the white part
- Cut the citrus skins into thin strips
- Place the citrus peels into a bowl and add the sugar
- Muddle the sugar and citrus peels together until a wet paste starts to form and the peels have released their essential oils
- Stir the paste and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula
- Allow the peels to rest in the sugar for several hours or, ideally overnight
- Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to use
Notes
Oleo saccharum is a key component to classic tea punches like the one from Sons of Liberty. It's also great in many different cocktails and added to baked goods.