Spices for drinks
Chai, mulled wine, spiced coffee, golden milk and the cordials of the world.
Spiced drinks are among the oldest uses of spice, from mulled wine and masala chai to Mexican hot chocolate, Arabic coffee and Caribbean sorrel.
Hot drinks
Masala chai combines black tea with ginger, cardamom, clove, cinnamon and pepper. Arabic coffee is flavoured with cardamom, sometimes saffron. Mulled wine and wassail use cinnamon, clove and orange, and Mexican hot chocolate takes cinnamon and sometimes chilli.
Cold drinks
Sorrel, a hibiscus drink with ginger and clove, is served at Christmas in the Caribbean. Jamu in Indonesia uses turmeric and ginger, and tamarind drinks are sold across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Spirits and bitters
Spices flavour spirits and liqueurs, such as anise in ouzo, pastis and arak, juniper in gin, and clove, quinine and gentian in bitters.
Drinks on EveryMasala
The spices written up so far, best known first.
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 moreJalape帽o
A medium-sized Capsicum annuum cultivar from Mexico known for its green pods and moderate heat.Chilli 路 Hot and fiery 路 Earthy and deep
馃嚞馃嚦 Guinea and 5 moreGrains of paradise
The pungent, citrus-tinged seeds of a West African ginger relative.Seed 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Hot and fiery
馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 5 moreGinger
The pungent rhizome of a flowering perennial, one of the world's most traded spices.Root 路 Hot and fiery 路 Sharp and pungent
馃嚘馃嚭 Australia and 1 moreMountain pepper
The dried berry of an Australian shrub, used as a peppery condiment and wasabi substitute.Fruit 路 Hot and fiery 路 Sweet and mellow
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreGinger
The pungent rhizome of a flowering plant, widely used as a spice and folk medicine.Root 路 Hot and fiery 路 Sharp and pungent
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 moreJalape帽o
A medium-sized Capsicum annuum cultivar from Mexico known for its green pods and moderate heat.Chilli 路 Hot and fiery 路 Earthy and deep
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Jalape帽o: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Grains of paradise: Lemmikkipuu, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mountain pepper: Melburnian, CC BY 3.0, source
- Ginger: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, source
- Ginger: Venkatx5, CC BY-SA 3.0, source