Save the Juniper! Drink More Gin!
The True Victim of Abstinence
Credit: Wikipedia
BBC News reports that juniper plants’ future is being threatened by old age, caused by a lack of interest in the plant. Interestingly, Juniperis communis is dioecious, meaning it has separate male and female plants, and many female plants have become too old to reproduce.
Solutions?
- Drink more gin. Juniper berries are its key ingredient.
- Drink more illegal Scotch. Juniper wood is the fuel of choice for illegal whisky stills in Scotland.
- Show the junipers plant porn. This will get their reproductive urge back up.
Basically, more demand for products with juniper in them will cause manufacturers to encourage the breeding of more plants. It’s simple economics.
Of course, this could be taken too far with too much demand. That’s why we don’t try saving whales by eating them.
February 8th, 2007 at 8:26 am
I’m doing all I can! Gin is my absolute favorite spirit, but I can only drink so many Martinis in a given day. Time for some other folks to start taking up the slack.
Really, people- don’t be afraid of gin. It’s just like vodka…except it has flavor and character.
February 10th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
The Texas Hill Country can provide an unlimited supply of juniper (specifically, juniperus ashei) to any distillery that needs it. Mountain cedar (as it’s known here) moved in when ranchers overgrazed the region and now we can’t get rid of it quickly enough. To some people, it’s more than unsightly nuisance; it’s the main source of allergens in the area. For a thorough rant, see http://www.peopleagainstcedars.com/html/cedar__the_plague_of_trees.html