Spice Drops for Students: Quick Flavour for Uni Meals, Mocktails and Baking

In short: The quickest way for students to add flavour to uni meals, mocktails and baking is a few small bottles of liquid spice extract. Spice Drops stir into noodles, pasta, beans, drinks and cake mixes at the end, take up almost no shelf space, and keep for up to three years. Four flavours, Garam Masala Spices, Red Chilli, Lemon Zest and Cinnamon, cover most student cooking.

Uni kitchens are small, shared and busy. Most students have one shelf of cupboard space, a few minutes between lectures and a budget that does not stretch to a full spice rack. This guide shows how a few small bottles of Spice Drops add proper flavour to quick meals, mocktails and baking without the clutter.

Why are spices hard work in a student kitchen?

A full set of ground spices takes up a lot of room, and jars that are opened and then forgotten slowly lose their aroma. Ground spices also usually taste best when they are cooked in a little oil first, which is one more step when you are short of time. Spice Drops are liquid extracts made from spices in Kerala, India. You can add them to cooked or raw food, hot or cold, and stir them in at the end.

Spice Drops contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and are oxalate free. They are vegan, gluten free and alcohol free, and contain a plant derived emulsifier, polysorbate 80, which helps them mix into food and drink.

What quick meals can students make with Spice Drops?

• Instant noodles: stir in a drop of Garam Masala Spices or Tikka Masala Spices once they are cooked.
• Pasta with tinned tomatoes: add Red Chilli for heat and a drop of Oregano at the end.
• Beans on toast: a drop of Cumin Seed and a little Red Chilli turn a staple into something new.
• Wraps and sandwiches: mix Tikka Masala Spices or Lemon Zest into mayonnaise or yoghurt for a quick filling.
• Rice: a drop of Turmeric and Cumin Seed stirred through plain rice.
• Overnight oats: Cinnamon or Vanilla stirred in the night before, ready for a 9am lecture.

What mocktails can you make with Spice Drops?

Spice Drops are alcohol free, so they work well in drinks for anyone not drinking. Add a drop or two to a glass of sparkling water or lemonade with ice, stir and taste.

• Lime Zest and Mint with sparkling water and plenty of ice.
• Rose with lemonade for a pink, floral drink.
• Lemongrass and Ginger with soda water and a slice of lemon.
• Mulling Spices in warm apple juice for winter nights.
• Chai Spices in hot milk for a quick chai latte.

How can you bake at uni with Spice Drops?

Baking in a shared kitchen is easier when you do not have to zest fruit or split vanilla pods. A few drops go straight into the mix.

• Cookies: Orange Zest or Vanilla in the dough.
• Banana bread: Cinnamon and a drop of Nutmeg.
• Mug cakes: Vanilla or Cinnamon stirred in before the microwave.
• Buttercream and icing: Rose, Orange Zest or Lemon Zest with no specks or bits of peel.

How much should I use?

These ratios come from our product pages. Start with them, taste, then add more if you like.

What Spice Drops should a student start with?

A 5ml bottle holds around 150 drops and takes up hardly any room on a shared shelf. Four flavours cover most of the ideas above: Garam Masala Spices, Red Chilli, Lemon Zest and Cinnamon. Keep them in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight and they keep for up to three years, so they will still be good at graduation. Check the best before date on each pack.

Spice Drops also make a useful going to uni gift. Browse the range in our Spice Drops collection, and see our chai latte guide or our guide to no cook food for more ideas.

How are Spice Drops made?

Spice Drops are made at our own factory in Kerala, India, by a family business that dates back to 1946. The spices are crushed in a hammer mill or under a roller without heat, then extracted, and the solvent is removed under vacuum. For some flavours the distilled oil of the same spice is added back. Leafy herbs such as Mint are distilled essential oil only. The result is real spice flavour: the natural compounds that give each spice its taste and aroma are still there, such as piperine, which gives black pepper its heat.