Punch Up Your Punch With Oleosaccharum

We love punch for its ease. When faced with entertaining a crowd full of people, we pull out a bowl, dump and stir. (Lately we've been making this hassle-free version with rum and pomegranate juice.)

But for New Year's, we'll be taking the beverage up a notch by adding some oleosaccharum.

Fancy name, simple ingredient. To make it, citrus peels are combined with sugar, which pulls the aromatic oils from the fruits' skins, resulting in an incredibly fragrant substance that adds punch to punch. 

It's not a new technique–in his book, Punch, David Wondrich names oleosaccharum as a key ingredient.

Bartenders around the country have been creating exciting variations. At Union Pig & Chicken in Pittsburgh, lemons are smoked before their peels are pulled to make oleosaccharum. In Portland, Oregon, bartenders at Teardrop Lounge add herbs like dill or mint to the mixture.

To make your own, combine pith-free citrus peels with granulated sugar (2 ounces of sugar for every fruit's worth of peels), then muddle and let sit for half an hour. Discard the peels and add the resulting oil to your favorite punch recipe to taste.

Toast to a happy New Year.