Juniper Berries are spicy, sweet, with a piney aroma. They are delicious in stews and soups and with meats (especially wild game). They also give gin its distinctive flavor and are a common flavor ingredient in bitters.

The berries of Juniperus communis ripen in the autumn three years after they are formed. Therefore a plant will be bearing fruit in all stages of maturity at any one harvest time, which accounts for the varying flavors of individual berries.