Wild at Heart

SPIRITED BOTANICAL COCKTAILS & MOCKTAILS

RECIPES ZACH PAINTER & BRITTANY MADLER
PHOTOGRAPHY AZURE PHOTOGRAPHY

Molly Cummings, a biology professor at the University of Texas in Austin, dreamed of infusing the sights, smells, and sounds of the western Texas landscape into a bottle of spirits. She created WildGins, a Texas-based gin company that highlights foraged berries from native juniper trees commonly found in the vast, cinematic landscape of West Texas.

For years, more than 98 percent of gin consumed in the world was made from one species of tree—the Juniperus Communis, or common juniper. Cummings set out to disrupt spirit industry norms, creating the only liquor company in the world that offers a truly single-sourced botanical spirit—in this case specific trees from which she hand-picks.

Cummings’ élan to distill native plants into a botanical spirit started with a botched batch using mountain cedar berries from the Texas Hill Country. The end product was less than desirable. She forged on, her research pushing her farther west to the town of Fort Davis, where she had heard of several species of juniper growing wild in the Davis Mountains. With the help of Fort Davis Public Library librarian Toi Fisher, she located the trees she was looking for.

Fisher granted Cummings access to her own land outside Fort Davis, land that is home to both the little-known “Alligator” juniper, the Juniperus Deppeana, and the native Texan red berry juniper, also known as Juniper Pinchotti. Cummings climbed atop roofs, ladders and small cliffs to hand-forage her prized berries. From these two juniper species, the first two expressions of WildGin were born.

WildBark (a West Texas dry gin) is distilled from hand-foraged Alligator Juniper; it’s a bold, aromatic take on the traditional London Dry*. WildJune, with a label designed by Texas singer-songwriter Bob Schneider, is a self-described western-style gin, distilled from native red juniper berries. Cummings set out to create a uniquely Texan spirit, and that is exactly what she did. Both expressions of WildGin are delightful summer sippers that exemplify the Texan spirit, a banner for those who remain wild at heart.

*SIDEBAR: LONDON DRY

The name London Dry dates to the 16th century, when gin was produced exclusively by the Worshipful Company of Distillers after a Royal Charter was granted to them to produce gin in London and surrounding areas. After Queen Anne ended the charter in 1702, hundreds of other gin distilleries opened. Today, London Dry Gin doesn’t indicate a location, but is rather a marker of style and quality. London Dry Gin means that the base is distilled to a neutral grain spirit of 96 percent ABV, and all flavors derive from natural plant materials added during distillation. In other words, no artificial flavors can be added after distillation is complete.

Summer Lovin’

See the Recipe

Butterfly Garden

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Spirit-Free Spritz

See the Recipe

Pear-ly Beloved

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A FRESH WAY TO “COCKTAIL”

The growing interest in alcohol-free mixed drinks has launched creative options for bartenders and home mixologists alike. The aim is not a “substitute” for spirited drinks, but tasty and sophisticated elixirs that are always hangover free.

Wilderton Botanical Spirits was created in Oregon by two spirit industry professionals, Brad Whiting and Seth O’Malley. Recipes at WildertonFree.com.

Toby Thomason

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Toby Thomason is General Manager of Harvest Seasonal Kitchen and Board Member of The Seed Project Foundation

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