This is an excerpt from the article “Foraging Wild Juniper Berries” by Connie Byers featured in the Winter Vol 3 | Issue 11 | 2024 edition of Botanical Anthology. To learn more about foraging and using juniper, check out the entire article in the magazine! Our herbal magazine, featuring remedies, recipes and projects with plants for the winter season, can be purchased as a digital version here and as a printed version here.
The words gin and juniper have a common Latin root. The name gin is derived from the old English word genever, which is related to the French word genièvre, which are both ultimately derived from juniperus, the Latin for juniper. Traditionally, gin was made by simply infusing a neutral spirit with juniper berries and other botanicals. While most distilleries use a much more complicated process nowadays, you can create a rather unique gin right in your home.
Materials
- 4 tbsp juniper berries
- 2 ½” x 3” pieces lemon rind
- 2 ½” x 3” pieces orange rind
- 2 tsp raw honey
- 2 star anise pods
- 12 black peppercorns
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 48 oz vodka
Method
Combine all of your aromatic herbs, spices, juniper berries, and citrus peels, plus honey in a large glass jar. Pour the vodka in and shake to combine.
Place the bottle in a cool, dark place for 24 hours, giving it a shake once or twice during that time.
At the 24-hour mark, your infused gin will be a rich golden color. Taste the gin to determine if the flavors are deep enough to meet your taste. If you prefer a richer flavor, you can leave it for up to another 24 hours. Once you’re happy with the flavor, sieve the gin, bottle it, and label it.
Connie believes in the history and value of working with native plants. She can be found on her 36-acre Colorado homestead, where she forages or grows most of the herbs used in her botanical brand, Byers Ranch Apothecary. You can learn more about her and shop the apothecary line on her website, thisunboundlife.com, or Instagram, @thisunboundlife.blog
