If you love flavoring your beverages but don't want added sugar, extracts are your answer.

A few drops go a long way, whether you're topping off sparkling water, dressing up a cup of coffee, building a cocktail, or making a yummy mocktail. Extracts are shelf-stable, inexpensive compared to flavored syrups, and let you control exactly how strong you want a flavor to come through.

Today we're breaking down which extract to reach for depending on what drink you might be making, from a quick DIY flavored seltzer to a holiday cocktail and more.

Generally, we found that the best approach was to start with ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of extract per glass, then add more as desired. Since you're using so little per serving, it's easy to scale up for a crowd without any added expense.

Extract Tip: Using extracts that are still fresh is important. If your flavor seems a little off, it might be time to freshen up your extracts. To keep citrus extracts fresh, we recommend storing them in your fridge.

Shop our full collection of Vanilla & Extracts here.

Why is vanilla the ultimate drink flavor?

No extract flavors more drinks than Vanilla, and the origin you choose actually changes the result.

We carry three different types of single-origin vanilla extracts worth knowing:

Pure Madagascar Vanilla Extract is the classic, well-rounded vanilla flavor most people picture. It's creamy, well-balanced, and a safe default for any drink recipe that calls for vanilla.

Pure Mexican Vanilla Extract has a spicier, more robust profile with warm, almost woody notes. It stands up well in bolder drinks like a spiked horchata or a coffee cocktail. Horchata leans on vanilla alongside cinnamon for its signature flavor.

Pure Tahitian Vanilla Extract is the most delicate and floral of the three, with cherry and anise undertones. It's the one to reach for when you don't want the vanilla to overpower a lighter drink.

A few ways to put vanilla to work in drinks: our recipe for a classic Strawberry Vanilla Bean Milkshake was created by our co-founder Janet Johnston. It's a straightforward, crowd-pleasing use with a familiar flavor that will take you straight back to childhood.

And our recipe for a Vanilla Bean-Grenadine Syrup is a favorite around the Test Kitchen and a great mix in for so many drinks. To use in your beverage of choice, mix 1 Tbsp. syrup with 8 oz. club soda, seltzer, or sparkling wine, or combine with ginger ale or lemon-lime soda for a Shirley Temple, or with cola for a Roy Rogers.

How can you flavor sparkling water with extracts?

Effervescent, flavored water has become a go-to drink for so many people, and it's one of the easiest ways to put extracts to work. We spent time in the Test Kitchen experimenting with a few cans of club soda and seltzer testing different combinations, and found some surprising gems.

Here's our budget-friendly sparkling water hack: ditch the colorful cans and make your sparkling sodas at home. Buy a large bottle of unflavored club soda or seltzer and add your own flavors with extracts. The amount you need will vary depending on the flavor and whether your soda is chilled or room temp, but a total of ½ to 1 teaspoon of extract per glass generally seemed about right.

Extract Tip: One flavor is good, but combining two or three together can be even better!

Cherry-Almond Sparkling Water

If you've tried (and loved) Cherry Vanilla Soda, this one's for you. With Natural Cherry Extract and Pure Almond Extract and no added sugar, it's definitely a sparkling water, not a soft drink, but it has such a crowd-pleasing flavor.

Tropical Burst Sparkling Water

Pure Orange Extract and Natural Coconut Extrat is the sparkling water equivalent of a tropical vacation. Cut some grapefruit wheels for a splash of color to make it a party-perfect presentation.

Lavender-Lemon Sparkling Water

Admittedly, this one might not be for everyone. But if you love our Vanilla Bean Sugar, you just might want to try Natural Lavender Extract + Pure Lemon Extract in your sparkling water. The lavender ends up being more noticeable by scent than flavor, giving the drink a floral note, while the lemon provides a classic base. We dressed ours up with a lemon wheel on the rim of the glass.

And if you love the lemon and lavender combo, you'll have to try our recipe for Lavender Lemonade.

What fruity extracts can brighten up a drink?

These three bright, fruity extracts are the easiest entry point into drink-flavoring beyond the sparkling water combos above, and each one has its own life outside of those pairings.

Pure Lemon Extract gives you a concentrated citrus punch without the acidity or dilution of fresh lemon juice, which is handy any time you want a strong lemon flavor without changing a drink's balance.

Lemon extract is a natural fit for lemonade, whiskey sours, hot toddies, and lemon drop martinis. Really, anywhere fresh lemon usually shows up but you want the flavor turned up without more liquid.

A few drops is a quick way to boost the citrus flavor in our recipe for an authentic homemade Southern Lemonade, without watering it down with extra lemon juice. It's handy if your lemons aren't as juicy as you'd like.

Natural Cherry Extract has that sweet-tart, maraschino-cherry flavor people associate with soda fountain drinks like cherry cola, without needing actual cherries or cherry juice on hand.

Pure Orange Extract gives you concentrated citrus flavor without the wateriness or seeds of fresh juice, which makes it easy to dose into a drink without throwing off the balance.

Using Cherry Extract is a quick and easy way to upgrade a cola into a cherry cola, or to add a fruity twist to a Shirley Temple or Roy Rogers alongside our Vanilla Bean-Grenadine Simple Syrup mentioned above. It also works well in a cherry limeade, or dropped into a Manhattan or Old Fashioned for extra cherry flavor beyond the garnish.

Beyond the Tropical Burst sparkling water combo above, Orange Extract is a great way to build a chocolate-orange mocha at home. Just add a few drops in your coffee alongside cocoa or chocolate syrup, and it gets you there. It's also common in brunch drinks like mimosas and screwdrivers when you want a stronger orange punch, in orange creamsicle floats, and as a quick way to add citrus edge to a whiskey sour without reaching for fresh oranges.

What extracts add a floral or tropical twist to a drink?

These two flavor extracts are among the most commonly sought out for drink recipes, each bringing a distinctive aromatic lift rather than straightforward sweetness. Natural Lavender Extract gives you an easy way to add floral notes to a drink without steeping and straining fresh or dried lavender buds first. Just a drop or two does the job.

Natural Coconut Extract gives you that tropical, creamy coconut flavor without adding the fat or thickness of coconut milk or cream of coconut, so it's an easy way to flavor a drink without changing its texture.

Coconut Extract is an easy way to turn a plain iced coffee into a coconut cold brew, or to build a piña colada or painkiller-style mocktail with pineapple juice and club soda. It also pairs well with rum-based cocktails when you want more coconut flavor without diluting the drink further.

Lavender Extract is most commonly paired with citrus, honey, and vanilla. Think a London Fog-style latte (black tea, vanilla, and a touch of lavender), a lavender honey lemonade, or a lavender gin cocktail or mocktail. If you don't have fresh culinary lavender on hand, a few drops of lavender flavor will help you achieve a similar floral note, like in our recipe for Lavender Lemonade, or Hibiscus and Lavender Limeade. They're both great warm-weather sippers built around that same floral flavor as the Lavender-Lemon sparkling water combo above.

Which extracts are best for coffee and dessert drinks?

This group is the coffee-and-dessert corner of the extract world. All five of these flavor extracts are built for warm drinks, lattes, and anywhere you'd want a candy-shop flavor without the candy.

Natural Peppermint Extract is far more concentrated than a candy cane or a peppermint mocha syrup, so a little goes a long way. Just start with a drop or two per drink and build from there. It's an easy way to bring cool, refreshing mint into rich, sweet drinks without watering anything down.

Natural Hazelnut Extract brings that toasty, Nutella-like richness to drinks without needing an actual hazelnut spread or syrup on hand.

Hazelnut Extract is the commonly reached for in coffee–hazelnut lattes, cold brews, and mochas are the easiest wins. It's also a popular stand-in for hazelnut liqueur in martinis and other after-dinner cocktails, and works well stirred into hot chocolate or a milkshake.

Our recipe for a Chocolate-Hazelnut Syrup combines vanilla, cocoa, and hazelnut for a sweet, rich syrup. Use it with a splash of cream to sweeten coffee, or stir it into milkshakes or cocktails.

Peppermint Extract goes perfect with coffee or chocolate drinks–think peppermint mochas, hot cocoa, and milkshakes, where the mint cuts through the richness. It's also a holiday bar staple, showing up in White Russians, peppermint schnapps stand-ins, and spiked eggnog. Our recipe for a Peppermint Chocolate Martini could also double as an espresso martini, and is perfect for holidays and any other time of the year. It's cool, creamy, and kissed with just enough peppermint sweetness.

Natural Maple Extract delivers that warm, real maple flavor without the syrup's stickiness or added sugar, which makes it especially useful in drinks where you don't want extra liquid or viscosity thrown off.

Pure Almond Extract is the move if you want an amaretto-style flavor without the liqueur. It has that same warm, marzipan-like sweetness amaretto is known for, minus the alcohol, though it works just as well alongside it.

The classic use for Almond Extract is an amaretto sour, made non-alcoholic or built on real amaretto with a couple drops added for extra depth. It's also a natural fit in coffee drinks and milkshakes, and a common addition to Horchata alongside vanilla and cinnamon for a nuttier profile than Mexican vanilla alone. A few drops of almond flavoring in an Italian soda or mocktail sour rounds things out nicely too.

Maple Extract finds its home in coffee and fall drinks, like lattes, cold brew, and hot chocolate all take well to a few drops of maple flavor. It's also a popular addition behind the bar, showing up in maple old fashioneds, hot toddies, and even maple-bourbon cream sodas. Our recipe for a classic Pumpkin Spice Latte uses maple extract to skip the coffee shop lines and get that fall favorite at home, fully customizable to your own taste.

Natural Butterscotch Extract brings a buttery, caramel-like sweetness to a drink without needing an actual butterscotch sauce or candy on hand.

Stir butterscotch flavor it into hot coffee or cocoa for an instant butterscotch latte, or add a few drops to a whiskey old fashioned for a caramel edge. It's also a popular way to make a homemade Hogsmeade-style "butterbeer" drink with cream soda, and works well swirled into a milkshake.

Which extracts work as a non-alcoholic substitute for liquor?

Both Brandy Extract and Anise Extract let you build a specific spirit's flavor into a drink without stocking the bottle. They're handy for non-alcoholic versions, cooking for a crowd with kids, or just not wanting to buy a whole bottle for one recipe.

Natural Brandy Extract gives you that warm, oaky, fruit-forward brandy flavor without the alcohol, which makes it a handy pantry staple if you don't drink, don't want to open a full bottle for one recipe, or are cooking for a crowd that includes kids.

Pure Anise Extract has a bold, warming black licorice flavor, so it's one to use sparingly. Just a drop or two is usually enough to make its presence known. It's a classic addition to coffee (a nod to the anise-spiked coffee traditions in parts of the Mediterranean and Latin America), and it adds warmth to mulled cider or mulled wine.

Anise Extract also works as a stand-in when a cocktail recipe calls for a splash of Sambuca, ouzo, or another anise liqueur, letting you build that flavor into a drink without stocking a bottle you'll rarely use otherwise.

Brandy Extract is most useful in warm, spiced drinks: mulled wine or cider, hot toddies, and eggnog all lean on brandy for depth, and the extract gets you there without the liquor.

Our Spiced Vanilla Brandied Cherries recipe calls for ¾ cup of real brandy, but our brandy extract works well in its place if you'd rather not open a bottle of liquor for a single recipe, or want a non-alcoholic version. Either way, the resulting cherries and syrup are great spooned into a drink, dropped into an Old Fashioned or Manhattan, or spooned over dessert.

What drinks can you make with pomegranate molasses?

Pomegranate Molasses isn't technically an extract, but it lives in the same part of our pantry and is just as good at flavoring a drink. It's tangy, sweet, and syrupy, similar in concept to grenadine but with a deeper, more complex fruit flavor.

It's a favorite in sparkling cocktails and mocktails, where a spoonful adds both flavor and a rosy color, and it's a common swap for grenadine in Moscow mule and French 75-style drinks. Try it in our recipe for a Pomegranate Mule, a vibrant upgrade to the classic Moscow Mule (swap the vodka for club soda to make it a mocktail), or in our adults-only Pomegranate Smack.

What drinks can you make with tamarind flavor?

Liquid Tamarind Paste Concentrate also isn't technically an extract, but it's one of our other pantry staples worth flavoring a drink with. It has a distinctive sour-sweet-tangy flavor that's a staple across Latin American, Southeast Asian, and Indian drinks.

It's most recognizable in tamarind soda (tamarindo) and aguas frescas, but it also shows up in micheladas and tamarind margaritas, where the tang balances out the salt and citrus. Whisk a spoonful into club soda with a touch of honey and a pinch of salt for a quick tamarind soda, or add a splash to a michelada or margarita for extra tang.