How to make Juniper Molasses

A big thank you goes to April of In the kitchen with April who has solved the mystery of how juniper molasses (andız pekmez)  is created.   She pointed me to this You Tube clip Making Pekmez in Anamur which shows exactly how it is done.  The cones are collected, then bashed with a hammer and put in a vast vat of water to soak.  The liquid is then strained off and boiled in successive caldrons, until a thousand litres is reduced to a hundred litres and a thick syrup results.   I'm always amazed at how these processes were ever discovered. It takes a great leap of imagination to look at a small juniper cone and create a process to turn it into a nutritious and delicious syrup.  All pekmez is a good source of calcium, potassium and magnesium and juniper molasses is said to be efficacious in the treatment of coughs, bronchitis and hepatitis.
I can't write the word "efficacious" without the Scaffold's "Lily the Pink" starting on a loop in my head.   Shows my age!

Lily the Pink lyrics