Cocktails with Coriander seeds
Coriander seeds are the dried fruit of the coriander plant — a warm, citrus-scented spice.
Substitutes for Coriander seeds
Ground coriander is faster, dustier and gone sooner, a pinch at a time. Lemon peel with a little caraway aims at the same warm-citrus place and drifts toward anise. Nothing else in the rack comes close.
Often confused with
Cilantro (the fresh leaf)
One plant, two ingredients with no relationship in flavor: the leaf is green, sharp and soapy to some people, the seed warm and citrus-dry. No recipe means one when it says the other. Neither substitutes for the other in any recipe.
Cumin seed
Similar in shape and nothing alike in flavor: earthy and smoky against coriander’s brightness. They sit side by side in most spice racks, which is exactly the problem — a drink made on cumin turns savory.
Storage
Whole seed holds its aroma for three or four years sealed, which is unusual for a spice. Ground goes flat in months. Buy whole and crush what you need, since the difference is measured in years.
