A Feast of Cranberries: Low-Sugar Cranberry Drinks

 Makes about 51/2 cups 

Commercial cranberry cocktail contains roughly 25 percent cranberry and about 12 to 15 percent sugar. This recipe has about half the sugar. It tastes as pleasant as commercial drinks, and because it contains much more pulp, it may offer more of whole cranberries’ healthy nutrients.

See variations below for hot cranberry punch or cold ­cranberry spritzers.

• 1 bag (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
• 4 cups water
• 1/3 cup sugar

1. Rinse and drain the berries and simmer with 1 cup of water until the berries pop.

2. Add the sugar and simmer just until dissolved.

3. Puree the berry mixture in a blender, then add the remaining 3 cups of water.

4. Strain to remove skin fragments. Chill and serve.

For hot cranberry punch, add 1 tablespoon of minced fresh gingerroot to the cranberries before cooking. Puree, strain, and serve hot.

For chilled cranberry spritzers, reduce the water by half (but simmer berries with 2 cups of water); add the sugar, strain, and chill. Just before serving, mix with the juice of two oranges and 12 ounces of club soda. Serve over ice.

Click here for the original article, A Feast of Cranberries: 5 Great Recipes.