From berry to bottle, see how owner Molly Cummings harnesses the unique juniper flavor profile.
By Tara Jones D Magazine August 13, 2025
WildGins is the only gin in the world distilled from West Texas’ unique juniper trees.
While most of the gin world relies on the same European common juniper, biology professor turned botanical pioneer Molly Cummings sought out a “uniquely Texas” spirit.
Her journey led her deep into the Davis Mountains of West Texas, where she discovered that two of Texas’ eight native species of juniper thriving in the rugged terrain make incredible gin.
“It really takes a dedicated nature lover to find these—we’re out here hand-foraging from these wild Texas junipers,” Cummings explained. “The combination of the elevation, the soil type, and the climate creates a very unique flavor profile.”
Today, her brand WildGins is the only gin in the world distilled from these native Texas junipers.
Honoring the Texas Juniper, from Berry to Bottle
Cummings doesn’t just forage from these juniper trees—she knows them personally and knows the rhythm to their production. She even gives each tree a name that matches its personality, like Fertile Myrtle, Star Child, Skinny Minny and Lucy’s Wonderful.
Because most of the trees follow a two-year reproductive cycle, she’s learned to recognize which trees bear fruit in odd or even years. And unlike other botanically-driven spirits in which you have to kill the plant to harvest, the juniper trees just keep thriving.
“These aren’t just shrubs, these are big, magnificent Texas trees where we can collect enough berries per tree to easily do single-distillation batches all from one tree,” Cummings explained. “That’s why we like to include the tree’s name on our bottle’s label.”
Molly Cummings forages the West Texas juniper trees by hand, often inviting friends and gin-lovers alike on her foraging trips.
Harvested by hand in pristine, chemical-free lands, the juniper berries undergo a meticulous cleaning process to preserve their natural essence, removing the yeast-containing “bloom” to avoid spoilage and preserve flavor. This is where Cummings’ biology background comes into play, as she’s developed the perfect process to preserve the juniper’s natural flavor profile.
Vacuum-sealed and stored carefully, the berries remain vibrant for years, ready to be distilled into spirits that are as clean as they are complex.
Unlike commercial gins that rely on pesticides and additives, WildGins uses only organic botanicals whenever possible. The result is a gin that’s as easy on your body, many customers telling Cummings they experienced “hangover-free” mornings after sipping WildGins on the rocks.
Meet the Gins: WildBark & WildJune
Cummings has crafted two distinct expressions of her native-juniper philosophy.
WildBark, distilled with the mighty Alligator Juniper, is bold and earthy—what Cummings calls “common juniper on Texas steroids.” It’s a true West Texas Dry Gin, enhanced with just a few other botanicals including citrusy orange peel, spicy coriander, earthy orris root, and a touch of common juniper for balance.
Then there’s WildJune, built around the sweeter, rarer Redberry Juniper, which creates a flavor profile many gin lovers didn’t know was possible. Found only in West Texas and Mexico, the Redberry brings a soft sweetness to a more botanical-forward Western Style Gin recipe that includes angelica root, cinnamon, citrus, hops, and more.
“We wanted to create this great pairing of flavors,” Cummings shared. “WildBark gives off this very James Bond kind of feel, while WildJune, she’s the more sweet and complicated one.”
WildBark and WildJune are the two lines carefully handcrafted by Molly Cummings and her team to make the organic taste of the West Texas junipers shine.
Locally, the gins have already become a hit with bartenders and restaurants.
Cummings hosts an annual Wild Women Make Wild Drinks Competition that brings women in the industry together to drum up the best possible recipes using WildGins. Recent winner Madison Toholsky created such a great WildJune recipe, she shared it with her boss at Town Hearth in Dallas.
“He couldn’t wait to try the drink and get the gin into our restaurant—and just the following week we had it printed and featured on our menus,” Toholsky said. “We were drawn to her local brand and captivating personality. We love that it is a Texas brand!”
Quarter Acre in Dallas carries the WildBark alongside a carefully curated selection of gins from around the world. Beverage Director Jacob Fergus loves how the gin is able to showcase other Texas ingredients like grapefruits from the Rio Grande and blueberries from East Texas.
“We first heard of WildGins when Molly came through the door one Friday evening,” Fergus shared. “Her passion for WildGins and the work she is doing to translate the flavor of West Texas is very compelling! Who doesn’t love a bottle of gin that names the exact tree where the juniper came from?”
Paying Homage to West Texas
With roots deep in West Texas soil, WildGins is redefining what it means to make a truly local, sustainable spirit. Every batch pays homage to the land, the trees, and the care that goes into letting a native ingredient speak for itself.
For Cummings, this isn’t just about making gin—it’s about telling a Texas story.
“No other state can claim what we have,” she says. “These junipers are Texas gems, and they deserve to be shared.”
With every sip of WildGins, you’re not just tasting a spirit. You’re tasting West Texas—bold, wild, and unforgettable.
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