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EveryMasala

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.

PartSeedBarkRootFlowerFruitChilliLeafResinBulbStigmaBlendPasteSeasoning
FlavourHot and fieryWarm and sweet-spicedSweet and mellowEarthy and deepCitrus and brightSharp and pungentSmokyFloral and perfumedBitterAnise and liquoriceSour and tartSavoury and umamiNumbing and tinglingHerbal and green
馃嚤馃嚢 Sri Lanka and 5 moreCinnamon The dried inner bark of Cinnamomum trees, prized for its sweet warmth and essential oil.Bark 路 Warm and sweet-spiced 路 Sweet and mellow 馃嚘馃嚬 Austria and 5 moreCaraway The crescent-shaped fruit of a carrot-family herb, used to flavour breads and spirits.Seed 路 Anise and liquorice 路 Sharp and pungent 馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 4 moreNutmeg The dried seed of a tropical tree, prized for its warm, pungent spice.Seed 路 Warm and sweet-spiced 路 Sweet and mellow 馃嚠馃嚦 India and 2 moreCardamom Aromatic seeds from spindle-shaped pods used in sweet and savory dishes across Asia and the Middle East.Seed 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Warm and sweet-spiced 馃嚞馃嚟 Ghana and 5 moreGrains of Selimdiarr The dried fruit of a West African shrub, used as a peppery spice and coffee flavouring.Fruit 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Bitter 馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 1 moreMastic螠伪蟽蟿委蠂伪 A bitter-sweet resin from the mastic tree, used in desserts and traditional medicine.Bitter 路 Sharp and pungent 馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreCalifornian white sage An aromatic desert shrub whose seeds flavour maize foods and roots make tonic teaSeed 路 Herbal and green 路 Sharp and pungent 馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreCommon prickly ash An aromatic North American tree whose bark and berries give a sharp, numbing biteBark 路 Bitter 路 Numbing and tingling 馃嚦馃嚤 Netherlands and 5 moreJuniper berry The fleshy seed cone of the juniper tree, a piney spice for game and gin.Sharp and pungent 路 Citrus and bright 馃嚲馃嚜 Yemen and 1 moreHawaij丨賵丕賷噩 A ground Yemeni spice blend used for soups, coffee, and everyday cooking.Warm and sweet-spiced 路 Earthy and deep 馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreIndian bay leaf啶む啶溹お啶む啶むぞ The large, veined leaf of a Himalayan tree, used for its warm cassia scent in South Asian cooking.Warm and sweet-spiced 路 Sharp and pungent 馃嚝馃嚪 France and 2 moreCorsican mint A tiny creeping mint from the Mediterranean islands, known for its strong peppermint scent and low-growing habit.Leaf 路 Sharp and pungent 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 馃嚤馃嚲 Libya and 5 moreWhorled savoryza'atar rumi; za'atar franji A pungent Mediterranean shrub with dark leaves and pink flowers, used in ancient cooking and modern herbal teas.Sharp and pungent 路 Herbal and green 馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 4 moreClove The dried flower bud of a tropical tree, prized for its intense warmth and numbing bite.Flower 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Warm and sweet-spiced 馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 3 morePink peppercornmulli The dried pink drupes of the Schinus molle tree, sold as a peppery alternative to black pepper.Fruit 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Citrus and bright 馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 5 moreKencur娌欏 A stemless ginger-family rhizome with a peppery, camphorous biteRoot 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Herbal and green 馃嚚馃嚦 China and 1 moreChenpi闄崇毊 Sun-dried mandarin orange peel aged for use in Chinese cooking and medicineFruit 路 Sweet and mellow 路 Sharp and pungent 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 馃嚘馃嚬 Austria and 5 moreCaraway The crescent-shaped fruit of a carrot-family plant, used to flavour rye bread and spirits.Seed 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Anise and liquorice 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 4 moreHops The green female flower cones of a climbing vine, used to bitter and flavour beer.Flower 路 Bitter 路 Sharp and pungent

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: seven spices you may not know, what is cooking this week, and one blend explained step by step.