An optical measuring apparatus configured for the analysis of samples contained in liquid drops that are provided by a liquid handling system, the optical measuring apparatus comprising: a) liquid handling system with at least one liquid handling tip with a liquid handling axis and with a liquid handling orifice at a distal end of the liquid handling tip, the liquid handling axis extending inside the liquid handling tip and penetrating the liquid handling orifice, the liquid handling system further comprising a pump that is controlled by a central processor of the liquid handling system, the pump being operatively connected to the liquid handling tip via a pressure line; b) a light source configured for providing irradiation light for irradiating a liquid drop of a liquid sample; c) a detector configured for measuring sample light arriving from said liquid drop and for providing measurement signals that represent the measured sample light; d) an optics system with first optical elements for transmitting the irradiation light; and e) a processor operatively connected to the light source and the detector and configured to accept and process the measurement signals provided by the detector, wherein the light source and the liquid drop define a first optical axis of the first optical elements of the optics system that extends essentially perpendicular to the liquid handling axis, the liquid handling system being adapted to provide the liquid drop such that it is suspended at the liquid handling orifice of the liquid handling tip in a position where the liquid drop is penetrated by the first optical axis, wherein the liquid drop is physically separated from the optics system of the optical measuring apparatus and is physically touched only by the liquid handling tip of the liquid handling system and the liquid sample inside the liquid handling tip, the light source with the first optical elements being thus separated from the liquid drop by a first air space and the detector being thus separated from the liquid drop by a second air space, characterized in that the optical measuring apparatus further comprises an imaging chip operatively connected to the processor and configured for detecting an actual optical pathlength of the light penetrating the liquid drop or for controlling the size and position of the liquid drop, and in that the central processor of the liquid handling system is controlled by the processor of the optical measuring apparatus, the pump in effective combination with the processor of the optical measuring apparatus and with the central processor of the liquid handling system is a means for adapting the size of the liquid drop with respect to the first optical elements of the optics system. a) liquid handling system with at least one liquid handling tip with a liquid handling axis and with a liquid handling orifice at a distal end of the liquid handling tip, the liquid handling axis extending inside the liquid handling tip and penetrating the liquid handling orifice, the liquid handling system further comprising a pump that is controlled by a central processor of the liquid handling system, the pump being operatively connected to the liquid handling tip via a pressure line; b) a light source configured for providing irradiation light for irradiating a liquid drop of a liquid sample; c) a detector configured for measuring sample light arriving from said liquid drop and for providing measurement signals that represent the measured sample light; d) an optics system with first optical elements for transmitting the irradiation light; and e) a processor operatively connected to the light source and the detector and configured to accept and process the measurement signals provided by the detector,