Oleo saccharum

What Oleo saccharum means

This syrup gives sweetness that tastes of lemon peel, not just sugar. Simple syrup only adds sweet. This one adds sweet and the bright oils from the peel, so each sip tastes of lemons. Recipes for punch use it for the sweet part, so the peel flavor runs through the whole bowl.

Older guides suggest rubbing sugar cubes on the lemon rind to pull out the oil. David Wondrich found that modern sugar does not work that way. Toss the peels in caster sugar and let them rest instead, which is the method the steps below use.

The name is Latin for oil-sugar, and punch makers were using this method from at least 1670. The oil comes out of the peel and into the sugar, so the syrup gets its flavor from the peel and not from juice.

How to make oleo saccharum

You only need lemons, caster sugar and a jar, and most of the work is waiting.

1.Peel 4 unwaxed lemons with a vegetable peeler, leaving as little white pith as possible, because pith tastes bitter.
2.Put the peels in a jar with 6 oz (180 ml) caster sugar, which is 1.5 oz (44 ml) per lemon, then seal and shake.
3.Leave it overnight, shaking now and then, until the sugar has turned into an oily syrup.
4.For the vacuum-bag method, muddle the peels with the sugar, seal the bag, and rest it at room temperature for at least 6 hours, ideally 12. Refrigerate it and use it within a week.
5.Make sherbet for punch by adding lemon juice equal in volume to the sugar, shaking until dissolved, and using it within four days.

Oleo saccharum compared

Simple syrupSimple syrup is sugar dissolved in water. Oleo saccharum is sugar dissolved by oils pulled from the peel, so it tastes strongly of peel.
ShrubA shrub is made with fruit, sugar and vinegar. Oleo saccharum uses only peel and sugar.
SherbetSherbet is the classic punch base, made by stirring fresh lemon juice into oleo saccharum.

Related terms

Ingredients

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Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.