Juniper

About

Juniper is the primary flavoring in gin and is commonly paired with game meats. Unlike many bitter ingredients, which are typically balanced with sweetness, juniper is often paired with other bitter flavors such as black currant, tonic water, grapefruit and rare meat. The berries must be crushed to release their thick, evergreen flavor.

Pairs well with juniper

• CiLemonJuniper is the dominant aromatic in gin, alongside coriander, angelica, anise, fennel seed, cardamom and orange peel; lemon is often the…
• CiOrangeGin and orange, though less fashionable now, still work well in savory cooking.
• MeBeefThe Corsican dish premonata (or prebonata) braises beef, kid or goat in a rich sauce of wine, tomatoes, peppers and juniper berries.
• MePorkJuniper's sharp, resinous freshness cuts through pork fat, which is why the two are classically combined in pâtés and terrines.
• ChHard CheesePecorino ginepro, a semi-hard Italian sheep's-milk cheese soaked in juniper and balsamic vinegar, has a nutty, tangy character typical of…
• BrOliveA dirty martini adds brine from the olive jar to a gin martini.
• SuCabbageCombined famously in choucroute garnie, a hearty Alsatian dish of pork and sausage with barrel-fermented sauerkraut, whose juniper-scented…
• BrProsciuttoTuscan "salato" prosciutto, distinct from the sweeter Parma and San Daniele styles, is rubbed with salt, rosemary, juniper, pepper and…
• FrRhubarbChefs pair rhubarb's natural sourness with juniper rather than masking it with sugar, for instance in a gin and rhubarb sorbet, where the…
• BeBlack CurrantBlack currant and juniper, both strongly flavored northern European berries, are typically paired in sauces or jellies for dark game meats…
• CiGrapefruitThe classic pairing is the Salty Dog cocktail, gin and fresh grapefruit juice served over ice in a salt-rimmed glass, where the juniper…