Oleo saccharum is a citrus syrup used in bartending, and is made by macerating citrus peel with sugar. Although it’s easy to make, it has a complex flavour profile that works brilliantly in all manner of cocktails and even in cooking: mix it into a salad dressing, say, or use as a glaze for meat or roast vegetables or to sweeten a citrussy pudding.
The peel from just one citrus fruit is enough for at least a couple of cocktails, but if you want to make a larger batch, save spent peel in the freezer until you have enough stored up. Peel the fruit carefully, to avoid any of the white pith (unless you’re looking for a bitter flavour profile). Incidentally, you can also make it with other fruit peelings, such as pineapple, banana, mango or apple; they don’t contain the same level of essential oils, but the sugar will still absorb the moisture and flavour of the fruit.
