In addition, they are also diuretics and can detoxify the body. So someone who simply soaks their raisins … Juniper berries have been used both as an appetite stimulant and an appetite suppressant, depending on the culture. Privacy Policy. 16 Sweet & Savory Peach Recipes This spice and pairs well with other herbs and spices like marjoram, black pepper, and laurel berries. Most gin recipes you find online assume that you will use berries from a different variety of juniper called Common Juniper or Juniperus communis. It's an effective diuretic and is believed to help soothe symptoms of arthritis. Gin was originally considered a medicine, a new way to deliver the benefits of juniper berries, which had been used for centuries as a remedy for arthritis and rheumatism. Latest Discussions. Cedar berries come from eastern red cedar trees (Juniperus virginiana) that can grow as tall as 50 feet. While she was collecting alligator juniper berries, she found another type of juniper that wouldserve as the backbone for WildJune. The juniper berry, in addition to being a popular spice, has long been used in many cultures for its medicinal properties. In their essential oil form, they are used as a natural relaxant, to ease stress and help keep you calm. Hot Bloom Cold Brew Is for People Who Wish It Tasted Better. I read of a brewer aging his beer in gin barrels and adding juniper berries to the barrel too. Juniper berries are best when they're fresh, so if you can't find a local market that frequently reorders the spice, check online. Some Unique Ways To Use Juniper Berries in Brewing. Plymouth gin: essentially the same as London dry gin (Plymouth Gin is the only example currently being produced) except that it can only be distilled in Plymouth, England. Then, pour vodka into the jar and add your botanical blend. The juniper berries used for flavoring come from the Juniperus communis, which can be a sprawling shrub or a tree that can grow as tall as 52 feet. How to serve it The classic serve is in a Gin and Tonic. It's a great adjunct to meat dishes such as beef, pork, or wild game such as venison. Juniper has a wonderfully piney taste with citrus overtones (sometimes compared to rosemary) and is a common ingredient in German food. The cones from a handful of species, especially Juniperus communis, are used as a spice, particularly in European cuisine, and also give gin its distinctive flavour. Most gin distillers use common juniper, which has one of the most diverse geographic ranges of any woody plant. With varieties hardy from U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 10, many junipers are purely ornamental, but some produce berries that people use to flavor gin and other products. Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the juniper berries into a powder. The berries are used instead of hops, and the mash is filtered through a bed of intertwined juniper … Stir well. Juniper berries are commonly used to make sauerkraut or fried with cubes of ham. “It’s a whole different level of regionality.”, Find WildGins at your local liquor retailer or visit wildgins.com. Published monthly by the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Highways, the official travel magazine of Texas, encourages travel to and within the Lone Star State and tells the Texas story to readers around the world. Other juniper-flavored alcoholic beverages include the Finnish rye-and-juniper beer made from the juniper berries and branches. “Modern gin manufacturers, particularly the cheaper brands, don’t flavor with any actual natural flavorings at all. The cocktail enhancer combines extracts of wild alligator juniper and lemon balm, which are purported to have antiviral and antibacterial properties.Makes 1 cocktail. This cocktail combines WildBark, a London Dry-style gin, with Cummings’ new product, a novel “cocktail enhancer” called Wild LB&J. Gin is made from juniper berries, little dark purple nuggets with superfood powers. The plant, red berry juniper, is a rare species mainly found in parts of West Texas and the Panhandle, with the richest concentration in the Davis Mountains. I feel a little bit like a pioneer when I’m out there harvesting.”. New styles like Japanese and Western make use of indigenous ingredients to create distinctive regional tastes. Her day’s haul—between two and 10 pounds—should be enough to produce one batch of her WildBark West Texas Dry Gin. Then steeped in neutral grain spirit to release their unique flavours before distillation. Kevin D. Weeks is a personal chef, cooking instructor, and food writer. Because of its vast geographic global range, juniper is not considered threatened at an international level. “It’s an amazing community out there,” she says. © 2008–2020. bushes are popular shrubs that produce a bluish colored berry. When doing research and development for WildBark, Cummings traveled around Texas foraging different species of juniper. Juniper leaves are sharp, so it’s best to use gloves when picking juniper berries. You can rub crushed juniper berries into the meat of your choosing before roasting it. Place olive oil and juniper berries into a baking pan and put in the preheated oven for a few minutes to warm the berries and get them to release their essential oils. Place a sheet underneath the shrub, grasp a branch with berries, and gently shake. Mix dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Juniper is what gives gin its signature piney, herbaceous flavor, although there are different styles of gin. All Rights Reserved. A fellow scientist told her where to find alligator juniper, also known as checkerbark, which grows above approximately 6,000 feet in the Davis Mountains. Remove the baking pan from the oven and toss baby potatoes (use red, yellow or purple or all three) into the infused olive oil along with some fresh smashed garlic cloves. They know it’s a very special place.”, Every bottle of WildGins lists the nickname of the tree that was used for the batch. - 200 to 250 gm Juniper berries - 100g coriander - 27g angelica, cassia, liquorice, grains of paradise, cubeb, 50g orange and lemon peel, ginger, orris root, cardamom, nutmeg 5g. Juniper berries typically form half to two-thirds of the total botanicals in a batch of gin. To make gin, start by creating some fun botanical blends, like juniper berries, coriander seed, and angelica root. The ancient Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians were known to have used juniper berries. The dried berries (not fresh) are often crushed or macerated. You could even add them to a pot of chili, to give a rustic flavor that complements ground smoked chile peppers. Juniper berries can be treated as a robust ingredient and macerated for a couple of days before distillation. Read the Infuse gin with juniper berries, etc.? Or you can stew the berries before marinating or basting the meat with them. The time-honored way to pick is much like mulberry picking. Gin starts its life as a neutral (often grain-based) spirit. The berries will fall off quite easily. Molly Cummings collects alligator juniper berries for her WildBark gin in the Davis Mountains. The spirits company produces two gins, WildBark and WildJune, which are both distilled from rye and malted barley and infused with juniper berries native to the Davis Mountains. It possesses juicy, sweet, and fragrant berries, which are combined with 10 other botanicals including white pepper, hops, angelica, and cinnamon to make WildJune. To bring out juniper berries' slight citrus flavor, most recipes call for another fruit such as apples or prunes to be added. Distill one more time as it will extract the flavours from the botanicals. To crush the berries, put a tablespoon or so in a zippered bag and lightly smash them with a meat mallet, hammer or wine bottle. Juniper berries are well known for their affinity to game meat, so treat yourself to a hearty dinner of roast venison. discussion from the Chowhound Spirits, Gin food community. Juniper berries are used in northern European and particularly Scandinavian cuisine to "impart a sharp, clear flavor" to meat dishes, especially wild birds and game meats (boar & venison). https://metro.co.uk/2013/10/25/recipe-how-to-make-your-own-gin-4156419 Juniper berries are most famous for their use in gin. It’s essentially pure ethanol, to which flavours are added through a process called re-distillation. A juniper berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers.It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which gives it a berry-like appearance. Sign up for magazine extras, upcoming events, Mercantile specials, subscription offers, and more. You are looking for only the blue, ripe berries. Other traditional styles may have a predominant citrus flavor or sweeter profile. With her feed bag over her shoulder, she gently grasps the branches, relieving them of their fragrant dusky green fruit. Juniper is commonly used with lamb (or mutton) and is particularly good with venison, wild boar, and even domestic pork. A well-known Alsatian dish, choucroute garnie, contains sauerkraut with sausage and potatoes, seasoned with pepper and juniper berries. On a homebrewing scale some people like to macerate the berries with sugar. You can also go for a fruity combination by mixing the peels of lemons, oranges, and grapefruits with star anise pods, caraway seeds, and juniper berries. How to Cook Food Flavored With Juniper Berries. Garnish with a basil leaf. … Roast venison with roasted pears. Juniper is also a good flavoring to use with roast duck. In Finland, juniper is used to flavour a dark rye beer called sahti which is frequently drunk during or after a sauna. Juniper berries have been used to flavor gin, a liquor developed in the 17th century in the Netherlands. Cummings forages exclusively on private land from August through the fall in partnership with several landowners near Fort Davis and Marathon. Well-macerated juniper berries’ heavy tones can be balanced by other botanicals or by incorporating juniper that is more lightly treated by adding it to the still just before distillation or vapor distilling it in a basket within the still. 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