Coriander
Coriander is the leafy herb Americans call cilantro: bright and citrus-green to most people, soapy to a minority, a difference that is partly genetic. In our Picante de la Casa, ten leaves with their stems are clapped between the hands and shaken with reposado tequila, lime, agave and red chilli, and they give the drink its taste of salsa.
Quick Facts
Stems in water in the fridge, loosely bagged: days, not weeks.
None of the 14 listed allergens.
About Coriander
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Bright, citrus-green and slightly peppery to most palates; soapy to a minority, through smell rather than taste.
Coriander is the leaf in Britain and cilantro in America
Coriandrum sativum gives the kitchen two ingredients. The fresh leaves and stems are a herb, bright and citrus-green; the dried fruits, sold as coriander seed, are a warm spice. British recipes call both coriander, American ones call the leaf cilantro. In a drink, one will not do the other's job.
The soap taste is real and partly genetic
Some people taste coriander leaf as soap. A genome-wide study in the journal Flavour linked it to a variant near OR6A2, a smell-receptor gene sensitive to the aldehydes behind the herb’s scent, among 14,604 people of European ancestry, confirmed in a second group of 11,851, and a second Flavour study found dislike ranging from 3% of Middle Eastern to 21% of East Asian subjects. Genes are only part of the story, but the effect works through smell, so no technique in the glass changes it. Ask before you pour.
Clap it, shake it and strain it out
By Soho House’s own account, the Picante de la Casa began as Chris Hudnall’s Margarita Picante at Soho Beach House Miami and took its current form in 2012, when Chris Ojeda at Soho House West Hollywood streamlined it. Ours presses a little red chilli in the shaker, then adds ten coriander leaves, stems on, each clapped once, with reposado tequila, lime and agave. It is shaken hard and fine strained onto fresh ice.
Clapping wakes the aroma without crushing the leaf, and the shake finishes the work. Muddling hard adds nothing but a grassy edge.
Coriander leaf and its neighbours
Coriander leaf
- What it is
- Fresh leaves and soft stems
- Flavour
- Citrus-green; soap to some
- In a drink
- Clapped and shaken; the Picante de la Casa
Coriander seed
- What it is
- Dried fruit of the same plant
- Flavour
- Warm, citrus-spicy
- In a drink
- Syrups and infusions; never a swap for the leaf
Flat-leaf parsley
- What it is
- A different herb
- Flavour
- Green, mildly bitter
- In a drink
- With lime zest, for a drinker who tastes soap
Basil
- What it is
- A different herb
- Flavour
- Peppery, anise-edged
- In a drink
- Muddled firmly; the Gin Basil Smash
| What it is | Flavour | In a drink | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coriander leaf | Fresh leaves and soft stems | Citrus-green; soap to some | Clapped and shaken; the Picante de la Casa |
| Coriander seed | Dried fruit of the same plant | Warm, citrus-spicy | Syrups and infusions; never a swap for the leaf |
| Flat-leaf parsley | A different herb | Green, mildly bitter | With lime zest, for a drinker who tastes soap |
| Basil | A different herb | Peppery, anise-edged | Muddled firmly; the Gin Basil Smash |
Coriander keeps for days, not weeks
Trim the stems, stand them in water, cover the leaves loosely and refrigerate: that buys a few days, and a bag on its own buys less. Buy it close to the day of use. Yellow or slimy leaves stay out of the shaker, since one carries through a whole drink.
Using Coriander
Usage
Ten leaves with their stems, each clapped once between your hands, then into the shaker with a pressed piece of red chilli, tequila, agave and lime, then fine strained onto fresh ice: the Picante de la Casa, our one coriander drink. A few leaves season a drink; a handful takes it over.
Pro Tip
Coriander seed does a different job. It is the dried fruit of the same plant, warm and citrus-spicy, and it will not stand in for the fresh leaf in a drink.
Top Tips
- Clap the leaves rather than muddling them. Coriander gives up its flavour readily and turns grassy when crushed.
- Leave the stems on. They carry flavour too, and fine straining takes them out of the drink.
- Ask before you make a coriander drink for somebody else. A minority taste soap, and no technique changes that.
- Buy it for the day you will use it. Even with its stems in water and chilled, it wilts within days.
Possible Substitutions
- Basil: Peppery and anise-edged where coriander is citrus-green; another drink entirely
History & Context
By Soho House’s own account, the Picante de la Casa grew out of Chris Hudnall’s Margarita Picante at Soho Beach House Miami, which Chris Ojeda at Soho House West Hollywood streamlined in 2012; ours uses reposado tequila, lime, agave, chilli and coriander.
More to explore
Common Questions
Is coriander the same as cilantro?
Why does coriander taste like soap to some people?
How do you use coriander in a cocktail?
What drinks use coriander?
Can you use coriander stems in a drink?
What can I use instead of coriander?
How do I keep coriander fresh?
Sources.
Checked between 18 October and 20 October 2026.
- Flavour (BioMed Central), “A genetic variant near olfactory receptor genes influences cilantro preference (Eriksson and others, Flavour, 2012)” (peer-reviewed: genome-wide study of 14,604 people of European ancestry, replicated in 11,851; a variant near OR6A2; heritability tagged by common variants about 0.087).
- Soho House, “Celebrate World Tequila Day with our Picantes” (the group’s own account of the Picante de la Casa).
- Flavour (BioMed Central), “Prevalence of cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) disliking among different ethnocultural groups (Mauer and El-Sohemy, Flavour, 2012)” (peer-reviewed: dislike 21% East Asian, 17% Caucasian, 14% African descent, 7% South Asian, 4% Hispanic, 3% Middle Eastern).
Made with Coriander
Featured In These Cocktails
Often Used With
Updated 20 October 2026