Winter Citrus Champagne Cordials

Citrus is in high season right now, and there's no better time to capture the nuances of each varietal. It seems to me that in the past five years, most of the once hard-to-get varieties have become blissfully mainstream -- I've seen blood oranges in a Walmart, and was able to get a whole slew of Meyer Lemons, pomelos, and stem-on mandarins at Trader Joe's. This is so very exciting, because it means more people have access to one of my absolute favorite winter ingredients.

A citrus cordial is essentially the best citrus syrup you'll ever have. Adding the peels unlocks all of the citrus' most complex floral and bitter notes, which you just don't get by using the juice alone. I make mine via the sous vide method, but anyone can achieve similar results by letting the mixture of peels, juice, and sugar sit overnight before straining.

If you've read any of my posts about how useful the sous vide method is for cocktail enthusiasts, you know that the equipment is way more simple than it sounds, and surprisingly affordable. As a bonus for small-space dwellers like myself, precision cookers take up hardly any space in your kitchen -- I keep mine in a drawer, then pair it with this stockpot from Tuxton Home, which has a sous vide port built right into the lid.

And back to those peels -- they make amazing garnishes too, since the fresh citrus oils add even more aroma to the glass. Which is, of course, why a citrus peel is pretty much the most classic garnish in the book. If you want the basic effect, peel a wide swath and use a sharp knife to remove the pith (the soft white stuff) from the back. Leaving it on will add bitterness to your drink if you drop it in. If you have a really sharp knife, like this life changing set from Shun, you can have even more fun by carving ribbons and shapes into your swath -- who said a peel had to be boring?

You can make any citrus into a citrus cordial using this recipe -- blood orange, grapefruit, pomelo, and Meyer lemon are my particular favorites. Each one will have a slightly different acid level, and a completely different bouquet of aromas and bright citrus flavors. They're all so good you'll want to drizzle them over your morning yogurt, or your evening ice cream (both of which I highly recommend), but the very best (and easiest) way to incorporate them into cocktails is by simply topping them off with champagne. Or swap them into your favorite recipes in place of simple syrup and see where they take you!

Final note: It's important to go organic here, because you're cooking with the peel, which growers don't have to consider edible and are likely to spray with all sorts of bad tasting stuff, which will absolutely affect the way your syrup tastes.