Bite into a fresh cranberry and try not to wince: Naked, our beloved berry is incredibly sour and bitter.
What I'd loved all those years was not the cranberry, but the cosmetic enhancements of sugar, orange zest and ginger that made it palatable.
The au naturel juice? I don't know what kind of health-conscious ascetics are out there drinking the stuff, but the Puritans would salute their self-punishment, as I salute their commitment to the urinary tract health the fruit is purported to convey.
These folks will probably live a thousand years, peeing cleanly, commuting by bike, avoiding glutens and correcting people's grammar on the internet.
Cranberry Ginger Punch
(Serves 10)
The block of punch ice needs to freeze overnight.
Ingredients
Water, for punch ice
1 large, seedless orange
1 teaspoon orange bitters
180ml ginger liqueur
300ml Cranberry Juice Cocktail
One chilled 750-milliliter bottle Brut-style sparkling wine
Method
Prepare a block of ice for the punch by freezing a cereal bowl or Tupperware dish full of water.
Put the ice in a punch bowl. Cut the orange into thin wheels and distribute them around the punch bowl.
Combine the bitters, ginger liqueur and cranberry juice cocktail in a pitcher, stirring to incorporate.
Pour the mixture gradually over the punch ice, then gently pour in the chilled sparkling wine.
Stir gently to mix, then ladle into cocktail coupes.