Oleo saccharum

Cody Wheat
April 13th, 2024

Oleo saccharum is Latin for oil-sugar. It’s made by using sugar to extract the natural oils from citrus peels to create a thick syrup. Lemons and oranges are the most common citrus for this technique, but grapefruits create a wonderful flavor as well.

While the first mentioned of oleo sacchraum dates back to the 1670s for punch recipes, it’s a technique that’s still used ofte today.

via Difford’s Guide

Try it yourself

It’s a simple recipe to make at home:

1 cup citrus peels, stripped with a vegetable peeler (try to get a little of the white pith as possible)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

Combine the citrus peels and sugar in a Mason jar. Shake a bit to get the sugar on the peels and then leave overnight, ideally for 24 hours. Occasionally shake or stir to make sure the peels are in contact with the sugar.

While what’s created is heaven, you’ll see there’s very little of it to go around. You can add some citrus juice or water (I recommend the citrus juice) to help this go a bit further.

Strain off the peels if using for cocktails, or for a punch you can add everything in, peels and all.