Juniperus oxycedrus var. badia (red Mediterranean juniper)

[Alzahra888]

I love gin, and what follows is just my own experience, and it has worked extremely well. A disclaimer is important: I have not actually studied this scientifically.

This is what I can say: This is not about “juniper” in general, and it is not about Juniperus communis. It is about Juniperus oxycedrus var. badia (red Mediterranean juniper).

Historically, by my findings, badia was not a kitchen plant. It was used with smoke, tar, tools, animals, and external medicine. It produced cade oil, not food. Its resin load is high, its wood chemistry aggressive, and that has kept it out of ordinary culinary use. Occasional folk remedies might be reported, but it was not historically a bread spice, not a stew herb, and not a routinely fermented botanical.

It has reportedly been used for
• Dermatology
• Veterinary medicine
• Parasite control
• Ritual fumigation
• Wound care

It’s restricted use is however to my best guess simply because extraction techniques were too aggressive and pulled the wrong fractions, failing to control for the specific compounds and their volatility.

Juniper oxycedrus badia and Juniper communis share the same core terpene set:
• α-pinene
• sabinene
• camphene
• bornyl acetate
• myrcene
• limonene

These differ in proportion not in kind. Where Communis is berry-forward and forgiving, Badia is wood-forward and exacting.

Heavy extractions risk turning harsh, tarry, and medicinal because compared to J. communis, oxycedrus badia has:
• higher resin density
• more phenolic wood compounds
• harsher camphene and pinene fractions
• a natural tendency toward tar-like bitterness


That being said, the good news is that Badia CAN be used successfully with narrow control.

Most importantly, temperature (never boil), decoctions are a no no, time under heat needs to be strictly limited and solvent specific (fat vs. alcohol), consider particle size and fractionation.

I have never done the long maceration times required for running this with electric elements. I use Butane and have found that Odin’s approach works perfect if the maceration time is cut as per NZChris’s comment in that thread.

The protocol then for the juniper component in gin is:

• 3 g per liter of spirit not higher than 43% ABV (avoid higher)
• berries crushed or ground
• cold maceration only
• minutes to hours, not days
• immediate distillation preferred
• gentle heat
• narrow tail cut reported by Odin works very good. You lose about 10-15% of your neutral and this avoids any resinous tails.

Maceration can be immediate (add, stir, run) or short (a few hours to overnight, not longer!). This way we preserve pinene brightness and camphene clarity, control the overpowering heat of bornyl acetate and avoid resin.

I have used this berry in very simple recipes for gin tonic drinks where it shines and in more complex recipes to create a sipping spirit neat.

I have also used it in food. Cooking has great potential but again only if narrowly extracted. Avoid sprinkling it over food. It should be first infused into olive oil at 55°c- 65°C for less than 10 minutes so that oil is void of unwanted characteristics in the plant matter. Only then can be used in many food applications— cold as with any olive oil. Be careful if you heat it.

Baked into bread, the compounds are magnificently transformed producing a Nordic type medicinal effect with amazing properties. Not only is it delicious and balanced, but if you infuse the oil with both twigs and berries you can get a comparatively explosive yet delicious taste. Upon my first tasting i recorded as having real sensory intensity, warmth, vascular dilation, respiratory openness, skin/mucous membrane excitation.

It is possible that shamans and shepherds inhaled the smoke for purification, wakefulness, and to get through a cold night.

When I began studying why this variety was not commonly consumed I compiled a bibliography on the subject. For those who want to pursue it further here it is.

Arnold, J. (2003). The History of Gin. London: Gibson Square.
— Early European juniper spirits, pre-standardization diversity of juniper use.

Duke, J. A., & Ayensu, E. S. (1985). Medicinal Plants of China. Algonac, MI: Reference Publications.
— Juniper species in high-dose traditional pharmacology.

Fournier, P. (1947). Plantes Médicinales de France. Paris: Lechevalier.
— Classical reference on cade oil and Juniperus oxycedrus in France.

Hornsey, I. S. (2003). A History of Beer and Brewing. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry.
— Finnish sahti, juniper mash water, and Nordic intensity traditions.

Itkonen, T. I. (1948). The Lapps in Finland. Helsinki: WSOY.
— Saami chewing of resinous juniper; warming and stimulating effects.

Kalle, R., & Sõukand, R. (2012). “Historical Ethnobotany of Estonia.” Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 141(3), 1056–1073.
— Strong juniper decoctions, ritual purification, sensory intensity.

Le Floc’h, E. (1983). Ethnobotany of the Mediterranean. Paris: CNRS.
— Mediterranean juniper in fumigation, medicine, and ritual.

Lieutaghi, P. (1991). Le Livre des Arbres, Arbustes et Arbrisseaux. Arles: Actes Sud.
— Cultural history of Juniperus oxycedrus and cade traditions.

Li, H. (1974). Chinese Medicinal Plants. San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center.
— Juniper relatives used as powerful warming agents.

Miller, A. G., & Morris, M. (2004). Ethnobotany of the Soqotra Archipelago. Edinburgh: Royal Botanic Garden.
— Juniper smoke in ritual and altered-state contexts.

Mosher, R., & Trantham, K. (2017). Radical Brewing. Boulder: Brewers Publications.
— Farmhouse brewing, juniper as potent botanical.

Nilsson, E. (1995). Folk Medicine in Northern Europe. Stockholm: Nordiska Museet.
— Juniper teas and “burning” internal uses.

Rivera, D., Obón, C., Heinrich, M., et al. (2005). “Traditional Uses of Juniper in Spain.” Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 97, 201–214.
— Iberian internal and external uses; emphasis on strength and irritation.

Svanberg, I., & Ægisson, S. (2012). “Juniper in Nordic Folk Medicine.” Ethnologia Scandinavica, 42, 45–68.
— Chewing, decoction, fumigation, physiological effects.

Viires, A. (2001). Estonian Folk Culture. Tallinn: Estonian Academy Publishers.
— Ritual “fire teas” of juniper and embodied effects.

Westermarck, E. (1926). Ritual and Belief in Morocco. London: Macmillan.
— Juniper fumigation for purification and altered states.