Citrus Peel Morning Project

This soda gets most of its character from the fragrant oils in citrus peel, rather than a large pour of juice. Rubbing the peels with sugar and giving them time creates a small, intensely aromatic syrup. Avoid thick white pith, which makes the result unnecessarily bitter. Orange rounds the flavor while lemon provides a sharper edge. The waiting time is longer than the hands-on work, making this a good weekend project when you want a drink worth slowing down for.

Ingredients

• 3 strip Orange peel, washed, with little white pith
• 2 strip Lemon peel, washed, with little white pith
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Warm water
• 6 oz Sparkling water, chilled
• 1/8 oz Lemon juice

Make it

1. Rub the citrus peels with the sugar in a small covered bowl until fragrant. Refrigerate for 2 hours, stirring once or twice, to draw out the aromatic oils.
2. Stir in the warm water until the sugar dissolves. Strain out the peels and cool the syrup.
3. Pour the syrup and lemon juice into a glass, top with chilled sparkling water and stir gently. This is a refrigerated infusion, not a fermented drink.

Benefits

Orange peel and lemon peel · refreshing fluids

Using orange peel, lemon peel, and lemon turns the measured water into a drink with a fragrant orange-oil note. That water still counts toward your fluid intake.

Make room for lemon peel

Lemon peel gives the orange peel and lemon a bright lemon-peel scent—an aromatic pairing to serve freshly mixed, while the bubbles are lively.