Juniper vs allspice
Two aromatic 'berries', neither of which is a berry, both used in mulled and spiced drinks and both needing to be crushed or bought whole to be worth anything.
botanical
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Juniper berry | Allspice |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The fleshy cone of a conifer, ripening over two or three years. | The dried unripe fruit of a Caribbean myrtle. |
| Flavour | Piney and resinous with a peppery bite. | Clove-dominant with cinnamon and nutmeg behind it. |
| Preparation | Crush before use — whole berries release almost nothing through the tough skin. | Simmered whole; ground allspice fades fast and is often bulked. |
| Where it belongs | Gin, aquavit, game, sauerkraut and Alpine liqueurs. | Jerk seasoning, Caribbean sorrel, mulled wine and spiced teas. |
| Harvest | Mostly still gathered wild across the northern hemisphere. | Cultivated, and Jamaica has dominated the trade since the seventeenth century. |
| Naming | Called a berry and is a cone. | Called allspice and is one fruit, not a blend. |
| Quantity | A few crushed berries is a pot; a spoonful is turpentine. | Several berries is normal; it is the more forgiving of the two. |
The short answer
Allspice is the easier to use and the warmer. Juniper is the more distinctive and the one people most often use whole and wonder why nothing happened.
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