Juniper is the reason gin and alpine amaro get along so well: they share a botanical. The berries — technically fleshy cones — bring pine resin, black pepper and a faint camphor cool.
Alpine producers in Trentino, Piedmont and Lombardy use juniper as a sense of place. Alongside mountain pine, larch and génépy, it is what gives a bottle like Braulio its unmistakable forest character.
In cocktails, juniper is the connective tissue of the White Negroni and the Unusual Negroni — gin plus a bitter alpine or gentian modifier, with the shared pine note holding the drink together.
What juniper tastes like
Pine resin, black pepper and cool camphor.
Behind the bar
- ✦London Dry gin plus an alpine amaro needs almost no sweetener — the malt of the gin does the work.
- ✦Juniper amplifies herbal garnishes; a rosemary sprig doubles the effect.
- ✦Serve alpine bottles cold; warmth pushes the resin toward turpentine.
Amari made with juniper
Bottles from the Encyclopedia of Amaro that list it among their botanicals.
- AlpestrePiedmont, Northern Italy · 43% ABV
- Amaro ArgalàPiedmont, Western Alps · Around 27% ABV
- Amaro AvernaSicilia, Southern Italy · 29% ABV
- Averna Riserva Don SalvatoreSicily · 34% ABV
- BraulioLombardy, Italian Alps · 21% ABV
- Braulio RiservaLombardy · 24.7% ABV
- Amaro CamaldoliTuscany · 21%
- CenterbaAbruzzo, Central Italy · 70% ABV (a milder 45% Centerba Dolce also exists)
- Amaro del CiclistaEmilia-Romagna, Northern Italy · 26% ABV
- Amaro dell'ElbaTuscany · 26%
- Faccia Brutto Amaro AlpinoUnited States · 34%
- Gran Classico BitterBern, Switzerland · 28% ABV
Juniper cocktails to make tonight
Recipes from the Cocktail Lab that use juniper.
Juniper: frequently asked questions
Do amari contain juniper?
Alpine amari frequently do, along with mountain pine and larch, which is why they taste like a forest and pair naturally with gin.