Gin and Juniper Berries—the Common & Uncommonly Good
By: Molly Cummings
WildGins Founder &
Biology Professor at the University of Texas at Austin
At the heart of all gins is a juniper berry. And at the heart of most gins is a common one.
Juniperus communis (known as the common juniper) was the juniper that started it all, back in the early 13th century in The Netherlands.
The Dutch monks recognized the medicinal qualities of junipers with their purifying properties (and potentially protective qualities from coughs, colds and plagues) and created a distilled spirit from their local flora.
This juniper went on to become ‘the juniper’ featured in nearly every gin ever made in the UK, Europe, and the US.
However, it doesn’t have to be that way, at least not here in Texas.
The Common vs the Uncommon
Why the common juniper is so commonly found in gin is because it is the dominant juniper across the northern hemisphere.
While the original gin had spiritual and medicinal roots, it went on to become one of the most popular drinks in the UK and western Europe.
The common juniper may be ubiquitous across Europe, but it is not the only juniper out there. It happens to be the most common one out of the 75 species of junipers found world-wide.
However, junipers have evolved, adapted, and differentiated into distinct species that inhabit unique environments across our earth.
Texas is a Hub of Juniper Biodiversity
You might find it surprising, but one of the most diverse juniper places on earth is the state of Texas.
Texas is home to 8 species of junipers. That means approximately 10% of all juniper species on this planet call Texas home. All 8 are different and quite unlike the common juniper.
No other US state or country in Europe can claim such juniper diversity.
Recommendation for Quality Gin and Juniper Berries
(And a Word of Caution)
Now before any Texans try to make bathtub gin from your backyard junipers, let me warn you.
The junipers common to the most populated cities in Texas (Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio) are not the junipers you want to try and make gin from. Trust me, I’ve tried.
In fact, as a biology professor, I’ve experimented with just about every juniper that grows in Texas. And what I’ve noticed is that the major Texas cities co-exist with junipers that are not great for gin.
In fact, if you were to ask my master distiller, he’d tell you they make ‘horrid gin’.
Let me save you some time and palate pain by sharing with you my Texas winners, and let me just tell you, they are all found ‘way out west’.
The species we feature in our WildGins are our top picks for crafting distinct, high-quality, Texas gins.
Alligator Juniper, the Matriarch of the Davis Mountains
The largest juniper tree found in the state of Texas is the Alligator Juniper also known as the Checkerbark Juniper (Juniperus deppeana).
Growing upwards to 50 feet tall and having a mighty girth (I’ve seen trunks as wide as Bevo), the Alligator juniper dwarfs most others scrub-like junipers.
While there are varieties of Alligator juniper in Mexico, New Mexico and Arizona, the variety found in Texas is genetically distinct from the others. The Texas Alligator Juniper is found in the mountainous regions of West Texas and calls the Davis Mountains the center of her universe.
Her giant juniper berries (nearly twice the size of the common juniper) create a bold Texas taste.
Her bold taste is remarkably different from the common juniper because of the unique combination of volcanic soils, specific elevation, and arid landscape that created an unusual ecosystem known as a sky island — an isolated and rare environment where species adapt uniquely.
WildBark West Texas Dry Gin
While I refer to the Alligator Juniper in the feminine (because only the female trees produce the juniper berries), I often refer to the gin we make with her in the masculine.
That is because our WildBark West Texas Dry Gin featuring the Alligator juniper reminds me of something smooth and strong. A bit like James Bond, but more ruggedly Texan in nature.
Redberry Juniper, the Belle of the Texas Juniper Berries
While the Alligator Juniper might be the largest juniper in all of Texas, I would have to say that the Redberry juniper is perhaps the most unique.
Redberry juniper differs from the common juniper in so many ways, it is hard to wrap up in one sentence.
First of all, like her name suggests, she’s got red berries (not blue like the common juniper).
Secondly, she’s sweet and juicy (not aromatic and pithy like the common juniper).
Thirdly, she’s only found in Texas (West Texas at that).
In essence, she grows far, far away from any regions that call the common juniper home; and her flavor is uncommonly good.
WildJune Western Style Gin
When you find a juniper so uncommonly good, so different from the common juniper, and so uniquely Texan, it only makes sense to turn her into a uniquely Texas Gin.
We did just that by combining the redberry juniper with 10 other botanicals in our WildJune Western Style Gin.
The resulting WildJune Western Style Gin is crafted to highlight the unique wildness of the Redberry Juniper, setting it apart in both flavor and identity.