Angelica vs juniper
The two resinous northern botanicals behind gin and aquavit. Both are musky and firmly bitter, and neither is a berry despite what one of them is universally called.
botanical
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Angelica root | Juniper berry |
|---|---|---|
| The part used | The root, lifted in autumn and dried slowly because it is thick and rots easily. | The fleshy cone — not a berry — picked black after two or three years on the bush. |
| Flavour | Musky and earthy with a celery-like edge and a resinous depth. | Piney and resinous with a peppery bite, and immediately recognisable from gin. |
| Where it grows | Northern Europe, Iceland and Greenland — one of few plants domesticated in Scandinavia. | Across the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic to Mediterranean mountains. |
| In spirits | A standard gin botanical and central to aquavit and Chartreuse. | The defining one — a spirit cannot legally be gin without it. |
| Preparation | Simmered. It loses aroma fast in storage and old stock is nearly inert. | Crushed before use, which roughly doubles the extraction through the tough skin. |
The short answer
Juniper is the more familiar flavour and the easier to buy fresh. Angelica is worth having if the aromatic depth of aquavit interests you, and is worth buying in small quantities because it fades.
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