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The cranberry is the signature fruit of Thanksgiving. Around October, this tiny, tart fruit begins popping up everywhere — from baked goods to salads, salsas and sauces, boozy cocktails and soft drinks. 

People go cranberry crazy — and with good reason, too. This sweet tart fruit packs a flavor punch in one pretty little ruby-red package.

ALSO TRY: Cranberry margarita

We all know that one of the greatest joys of the holidays is the leftovers. This recipe calls for some of the reserved juice from our amazing vanilla bourbon balsamic cranberry sauce. You can make up this fantastic homemade cranberry sauce, and then savor its flavor two ways. Combined with the flavors of pomegranate, vodka, and a zing of lemon, this cranberry-pomegranate bourbon sparkler makes for a totally refreshing fall beverage.

This drink recipe is a tribute to the tiny-but-mighty cranberry. It might be small, but it is bursting with that seasonal taste we all love. So raise your glass in a toast to the unsung hero of the holidays: the sweet, tart, mighty little cranberry. Cheers!

Cranberry facts: Did you know that cranberries are grown in bogs, and, in North America, are harvested in the fall. I always thought cranberries were grown in pools of water, but this is just part of the picking process called wet-harvesting. The bogs are flooded with water and the berries float to the top.

And they do harvest a lot of berries! In the US alone, about 40,000 acres of cranberries are harvested per year. It really is a beautiful process — picture millions upon millions of these vivid red gems beings slowly gathered up in the icy blue waters.

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