It’s a late October morning in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, and Molly Cummings is atop a scaffold, foraging alligator juniper berries from a wild tree. Wouldn't dried juniper berries be better? Once planted, each bush requires little pruning and could live up to 170 years. 6. It is also dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers grow on separate trees. The dried berries (not fresh) are often crushed or macerated. Juniper berries are used to flavor food and beverages. 3. All gins need Juniper Berries, which can be ordered on amazon. Gin's makeup helps to relieve achy joints and gout, and its alcohol content coupled with the juniper berries can be an effective treatment for chronic pain and inflammations, such as arthritis. Originally, the recreational juniper berry water was derived from distilled wine instead of grain. But its distribution in the UK is rather patchy. The flesh of the berry is sweet with the real juniper kick being in the seeds. bushes are popular shrubs that produce a bluish colored berry. Uff da. It is one of three conifers native to Britain. ( 6 x 130ml Jars) 4.6 out of 5 … Make sure the area is free of weeds and other plants. Gin Botanical Collection - Gin Botanicals - Pink Peppercorns, Cardamom Pods, Juniper Berries, Blue Pea Flower, Star Anise, Rose Buds. Beyond that, I chose to use coriander seed, ginger, lemon peel, lime peel, orange peel, and lemongrass. Other volatile components present in smaller quantities that also have aromas described as woody are bornyl acetate, terpineols and β-myrcene. The term gin has its origin in French genièvre and old Latin juniperus for Juniper. Juniper, typically Juniperus communis, is used to flavor gin, a liquor developed in the 17th century in the Netherlands. We would compare it to understanding the influence of casks for whisky fans, grapes for winos or dilution of ice for bartenders. Growing this plant in your home garden: For detailed growing instructions, go to my Wild Foods Home Garden website Juniper page. Wait for the plant to start producing the wonderful juniper berry! For gin production, the majority of juniper berries are sourced from around the Mediterranean with the finest berries growing in Italy and Macedonia. in a garden, allotment or concrete jungle. Just in case you didn’t know that! Juniper berries snaps is super fast and super simple to make. Growing stuff is a great way to switch off and get outdoors, and juniper is an easy, tolerant plant to inspire green fingers,' said Alice. Juniper berries typically form half to two-thirds of the total botanicals in a batch of gin. We believe that thanks to a rise in appreciation of craftsmanship and conservation, this is something that our customers will get behind as well.'. I also had cinnamon, cucumber, and almonds on hand, but I decided to leave them out. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, You'll love Morrisons' alternative poinsettias, Letterbox Christmas trees to send to loved ones, Shop Dobbies' new unique Christmas plant range, 7 unique plants to buy in time for Christmas, 10 indoor plants you'll see everywhere in 2021, Monty Don says we should stop buying peat compost, he good news is that you can grow a flourishing juniper bush from sapling to. 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. Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe, particularly in Southern France, Flanders and the Netherlands, to provide aqua vita from distillates of grapes and grains. Juniper Berries 100% Natural – Perfect for gin, tea, cocktails and cooking (4 oz – 114 g) We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Each gin lover that purchases a 75cl limited edition of Portobello Road Gin's 'Grow Your Own Juniper' bottle (£25, exclusively at Waitrose stores … Your email address will not be published. Pop the rootball into the hole and gently pat the soil around it. Junipers are really hardy and great for beginners so once you've planted it there's not much TLC required. Juniper. I wrote some weeks ago about the fact that they are the main flavor in gin. Modern-day Gin’s roots stretch all the way back to the sixteenth century in what we now call the Netherlands. Tom Coates, Portobello Road Gin's brand director, said: 'Juniper is a hardy plant, however, the British contingent has taken somewhat of a beating in recent years, encountering a number of problems including disease and fragmented populations. Dig a hole about double the size of the rootball and surrounding compost, and gently tease out the roots. Juniper berries are the key flavoring in gin, which was originally known as jenever ("juniper") and was developed in the Netherlands.Juniper berries were used in cooking and for medicinal purposes in ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and ancient Rome, and have been found in India and other Asian cultures as well. These were recipe decisions, mostly because I already had them in stock. A couple of junipery gins to try are Herno Juniper Cask Gin, aged for 30 days in casks made from juniper wood, and Sacred Juniper Gin for serious juniper lovers. For the first two weeks, water your juniper two to three times a week. Growers then have the chance to send their cultivated juniper berries to Portobello Road Gin's Distillery where they will be distilled into bespoke gins for them. Juniper berries have a long tradition of use in food, beverages, and medicine. When ripe the berries are eaten by birds and so the seeds hidden within are dispersed. Under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework juniper communis remains on the priority list of species for all four countries in the UK. Green-fingered gin aficionados are being encouraged to grow their own gin at home. This complexity is what makes the creation of gin so interesting. And oh boy, what flavours! You can plant it all year round. Give it a good drink of water. Loss of habitat and browsing by animals is partly to blame for the decline in abundance of juniper trees, but truthfully no one really knows the reason and the picture is probably much more complex. Juniper berries typically form half to two-thirds of the total botanicals in a batch of gin. 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. Ellison feels the virginiana imbues the gin with a less piney flavor. 1. It is claimed to have natural antiseptic properties, an ability to reduce blood pressure and as an aid to digestion, something the Romans knew all about. Juniper is the only botanical which is in all gins. The name gin itself is derived from either the French genièvre or the Dutch jenever, which both mean "juniper". 'As modern life gets ever faster our desire to slow down, escape our screens and reconnect with nature just gets stronger. Greengate Farm grows Juniperus virginiana, a species common to North America, different from the Juniperus comonalis. Get inspiration, ideas and advice wherever you are! We concentrate on Juniperus Communis which forms the most integral botanical of Gin throughout the world. Alice Vincent, millennial gardener and author of How To Grow Stuff, has provided some expert tips on how to best grow your bush at home. 'We want to help get the foundation of the nation's favourite spirit back on track and while most brands - including Portobello Road Gin - do not use British juniper in their spirit, as passionate gin-educators, safeguarding our nation's beloved juniper plant is very important to us. How to Make Sicilian Blood Orange Liqueur, Larios 12 | Reviews | For the Love of Gin. Juniper berries can come in many varieties and are grown wild throughout the world. Juniper Berries bulk Dried Juniper berries for making gin … If you want to really understand gin, it’s important to get to know juniper. After two hours of picking, I was pooped. Gin is a distilled alcoholic drink that derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries (Juniperus communis). Packed with bioflavonoids and antioxidants with antibacterial and antifungal properties juniper berries are truly a superfood. How to Use Juniper Berries Common juniper, Juniperus comunis , belongs to the family Cupressaceae that encompasses around 60-70 species of aromatic evergreens throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Juniper Berries Overview Juniper berries naturally grow in the northern hemisphere and in other areas like Siberia, Canada, and Europe. Juniper is the Queen of Botanicals and without her, there is no gin as we know it – just flavoured vodka. Juniperus communis, to give it it’s scientific name, is the low growing shrubby evergreen conifer on which the juniper berries grow. Hi folks, and welcome to a new series on the blog – our profiles of the main Gin Botanicals! 'Whether you've been gardening for a while or are a complete beginner, we're calling for gin fans to get out in the garden and to help preserve the future of our nation's favourite tipple!'. The berries grow wild on steep mountain sides in areas where vegetation has not been cleared to make way for modern agriculture. You can also add some vanilla bean for … It is also known as enebro, gin berry, wachholder, horse savin, and hackmatack. You can grow junipers in a large plant pot or in your garden. In Norway, where my family originates, it is common to home brew with juniper berry tea. 7. Does this mean gin is good for you?! Tanqueray, Sipsmith, Beefeater, Hendrick’s gin are some of the authentic juniper gins that can help you get the essence and flavor of juniper berries. They are the required ingredient that flavors gin. The name gin itself is derived from either the French genièvre or the Dutch jenever, which both mean "juniper". Juniper berries are primarily used dried as opposed to fresh in gin production, but their flavour and odour is at their strongest immediately after harvest and declines during the drying process and subsequent storage. House Beautiful participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Good quality Gin is made with Common Juniper berries, so I tried just eating the Juniper berries instead, and found the effect was the same to better - and a lot cheaper. The cones of the juniper bush (often referred to as “juniper berries”) are required by legal statute, to be present and perceptible, in order for a … Juniper berries also contain other elements such as limonene, which adds a citrus aroma. That's what I always used. While gin has been a popular intoxicant for over 300 years in western culture, juniper berries have actually been used medicinally since the 16th century. But I’m sure you did. I’m Sue, writer, gin blogger and cocktail photographer with a love of craft gin and creating cocktails using fresh flavours. They say the green berries will give your snaps the taste of Turpentine. Its favoured habitat is chalk downland, moorland, coastal dunes, rocky hillsides and the understorey of coniferous woodland. © For the Love of Gin 2021 | Sue Telford | All Rights Reserved. That means the conifers either have male or female flowers. Common juniper is an evergreen conifer with small needle-like leaves. Juniper berries are the main flavour of gin. So while it might seem like putting a bunch of berries and herbs in vodka couldn't possibly result in a drinkable gin, you definitely can make a gin … You should choose a good brand of gin when planning to use it as a substitute. Gin lovers, this has been voted the best gin in the UK, How to grow the perfect tree for your garden. Some bartenders may use juniper berries/oil in infusions, syrups, as garnishes, and in other cocktail uses. The predominant flavour of the spirit must by law be juniper in order to be called gin. Molly Cummings collects alligator juniper berries for her WildBark gin in the Davis Mountains. Follow us on Facebook: House Beautiful UK | Pinterest: House Beautiful UK | Twitter: @HB | Instagram: @housebeautifuluk, 33 Black-owned home decor businesses to support, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. And the good news is that you can grow a flourishing juniper bush from sapling to shrub whatever your space – whether that's in a garden, allotment or concrete jungle. Make sure the soil is well-draining to ensure your juniper grows well in a wide range of temperatures. Many may know this snaps as Gin. The dominant volatile component of common juniper berries is α-pinene, which has the pine-woody aroma found in gin. 5. Juniper (Juniperus spp.) “Modern gin manufacturers, particularly the cheaper brands, don’t flavor with any actual natural flavorings at all. It is important to just pick the dark blue berries. When it comes down to it, gin is basically a neutral spirit flavored with juniper berries and a bunch of other stuff. Because of its vast geographic global range, juniper is not considered threatened at an international level. The dried berries (not fresh) are often crushed or … Also, for Gin add some dried coriander seeds and lemon peel from about a quarter lemon. Once pollinated by wind, the green female flowers develop into fleshy, purple, aromatic, berry-like cones. Juniper, typically Juniperus communis, is used to flavor gin, a liquor developed in the 17th century in the Netherlands. Click here to order direct from the publisher. Little further cultivation should be required. Olivia Heath is the Digital Editor at House Beautiful UK, uncovering tomorrow's biggest home trends all while delivering stylish room inspiration, small space solutions, easy garden ideas and house tours of the hottest properties on the market. Once planted, each bush requires little pruning and could live up to 170 years. It is a member of the cypress family with small, needle-like leaves widespread across the northern hemisphere. Only recently have the health benefits of the berries begun to be understood. And tastes really good. In Norway we pick the berries in September or later. The berries take up to two years to fully ripen from green to a beautiful deep purply-bluey-brown. A campaign set up by Portobello Road Gin aims to support the conservation efforts for the native UK plant which has been in sharp decline since 2004, according to research by woodland conservation charity Plantlife. Then steeped in neutral grain spirit to release their unique flavours before distillation. Without going into too much geeky detail the various oils in juniper are -pinene (pine), sabinene (spicy), limonene (citrus), borneol (woody) and farnesene (floral) and quite a few more! Bite into a juniper berry. This is not a berry to make a meal of, just eat a couple at a time or use a few for flavoring sauces. House Beautiful, Part of the Hearst UK Fashion & Beauty Network. “Gin traditionally was flavored with juniper berries, orris root, cardamom, and coriander. In Botanicals Distilled it makes sense to start with juniper. Juniper berries can come in many varieties and are grown wild throughout the world. 4. For gin production, the majority of juniper berries are sourced from around the Mediterranean with the finest berries growing in Italy and Macedonia. Often you will read they are too strong to eat raw, I don't feel that way. The trees are dioecious. Area is free of weeds and other plants and antioxidants with antibacterial and antifungal properties juniper berries ( communis... Berries take up to two years to fully ripen from green to new. To grow the perfect tree for your garden in this article not TLC. 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Inspiration, ideas and advice wherever you are ripen from green to a beautiful deep purply-bluey-brown finest berries in... Particularly the cheaper brands, don’t flavor with any actual natural flavorings at all weeds and plants. Green to a new series on the History of gin Sixteenth century Netherlands what we now call the Netherlands fresh. 12 | Reviews | for the Love of craft gin and creating cocktails using fresh.! For gin production, the majority of juniper berries have a long tradition of in. Our desire to slow down, escape our screens and reconnect with nature just gets stronger,! A Quick Background on the History of gin comes down to it, gin berry,,... Some bartenders may use juniper berries/oil in infusions, syrups, as garnishes, and welcome a., typically Juniperus communis ) its distribution in the Netherlands are dispersed garden: detailed. Use it as a substitute are commercially used as an ingredient in the UK, how to the. Each bush requires little pruning and could live up to 170 years that produce a bluish colored berry for. ’ m Sue, writer, gin berry, wachholder, horse savin, and gently pat the around. Gin add some dried coriander seeds and lemon peel from about a quarter lemon modern life gets ever faster desire! Berries grow wild on steep mountain sides in areas where vegetation has not been to. French genièvre and old Latin Juniperus for juniper for the Love of gin century...