zest, citrus —the aromatic, oil-rich outer skin of the citrus fruit—is a common flavoring for spirits and mixed drinks. Today, lemon and sweet or Valencia orange zests are the most commonly used in mixed drinks; bitter or Seville orange zests, formerly popular in punch, are now used mostly in distillation, as are citron zests. See curaçao. Lime and grapefruit zest are also occasionally used in both.
The use of citrus zest in distillation dates back at least to the early 1600s, when dried lemon, orange, and citron peels (consisting of the zest plus the bitter white pith that lies beneath) appear in some distiller’s manuals. By the end of that century, the fresh peel of lemons and bitter oranges was being used as an ingredient in making punch and other mixed drinks, as in the recipe for “Limonado” (a punch in all but name) found in Hannah Wooley’s 1670 Queene-Like Closet, which adds to sack wine, brandy, sugar, and water, “the juice of two limons and some of the pill.” By the 1730s, the thinly cut, largely pith-free zests were an integral part of punch making. James Ashley’s London Punch House, the most famous of its kind, had a ceiling decorated with the dried orange zests rescued from finished bowls of punch.
By the nineteenth century, the state of the art in punch making called for extracting the oil from the zest with sugar, thus forming an “oleo-saccharum,” although as punch faded from daily use, so did this technique. See oleo-saccharum. At the same time, zest began to find a new role as a finishing touch on a cocktail. This practice dates back to at least 1850, when a New Orleans newspaper mentions “an idea of lemon peel” as one of the components of the drink. At first, it seems to have just been floated on top. Only in the 1870s do we find mention of “twisting” the peel to express a fragrant sheen of oil onto the surface of the drink (by 1889, this had led to the swatch of lemon or orange peel used being labeled a “twist”). See cocktail.
Although recent years have seen the return of oleo-saccharum, the twist is still the most common use of zest in mixed drinks; lemon and orange are still the most popular by far, although grapefruit is occasionally used and sometimes even lime zest, despite—or perhaps because of—its bitterness. Primarily deployed with spirit-forward cocktails such as Old-Fashioneds, Martinis, and Negronis, the twist contributes a brightness of aroma and some sweet citrus notes that, while perhaps not obvious in the taste of the drink, nonetheless contribute to the full flavor experience and help to change the drink’s whole profile. Some bartenders like to express the oils through the flame of a lit match, which results in an impressive little ball of fire. See Flame of Love Martini and flaming a twist.
Though the zest’s contribution to a drink’s flavor isn’t debated, both when it should be used and what should happen to it once its oil has been expressed have, beginning in the nineteenth century. In his foundational 1862 bartender’s guide, Jerry Thomas falls on both sides of both debates. In some drinks, he suggests squeezing the peel into the drink before stirring and in others using it as a garnish to the final product. Likewise, some recipes call for the used peel to be dropped into the drink, but others call for it to be discarded. The debate continues today, but it’s mainly a matter of personal preference, with Thomas’s authority cited on both sides.
To make a twist, cut a rectangular swatch of citrus zest with a minimal amount of pith attached (a vegetable peeler makes this easy). You should be able to see the pores in the cut side of the peel. With the colorful side facing the drink, twist the peel to release the oils. You should be able to see a thin sheen of oil on its surface.
Cademan, Thomas, and Theodore de Mayerne. The Distiller of London. London: 1639.
H. L. W. The American Bar-Tender. New York: Hurst, 1874.
“Summer Drinks.” Louisville Courier-Journal, July 21, 1889, 21.
“What to Eat and What to Drink.” New Orleans Weekly Delta, August 5, 1850, 8.
Wondrich, David. Imbibe!, 2nd ed. New York: Perigee, 2015.
Wooley, Hannah, The Queene-Like Closet. London: 1670.
By: Clair McLafferty and David Wondrich
All drink fads end in glassware. Fancy Zombie glasses, 1940.
Wondrich Collection.
All drink fads end in glassware. Fancy Zombie glasses, 1940. Source: Wondrich Collection.