Why “Juniper”?

Juniper Closeup

My middle name was inspired by a hardy cypress family genus that comprises about fifty widespread plant species. Junipers are resilient and enduring. The bracing aroma of their purplish to greenish-blue female cones (“berries”) enhances the scent of good gin, whose frosty tang conjures the wind off an alpine snowfield. I love the sturdy trunks of the mature Sierra Juniper, which grows from steep granite slopes in the mountains of California.