Don’t judge a juice by its label. Maybe choose to drink it, though.

Is it wrong that I first bought Vermont Cranberry Company‘s “Super Tart!” 100% cranberry juice over my usual brand because of the model on the bottle?

Rhetorical question. Of course not! Why shouldn’t we be as delighted by our favorite product’s packaging as by its features?

Isn’t that basically what made Apple ubiquitous? Ahem.

It’s worth noting here, however, that the unique square glass bottle in which I’m privileged to receive my Super Tart! is my absolute favorite for household re-use. If you store bulk food for emergencies or preparedness, you’re going to need something to decant the contents of those #10 cans into to keep it all fresh. Super Tart! labels peel off cleanly, and the glass bottle’s rectilinear shape stores neatly in the pantry once refilled with rice or beans.

The image on Vermont Cranberry Company’s bottle is obviously an homage to the We Can Do It! poster used so widely in a feminist context within my own lifetime. Yup, I had that refrigerator magnet, and maybe a t-shirt, too. It’s a mistake to believe this depicts Rosie the Riveter, but a common one. My research for this post has also turned me on to Wendy the Welder. Truly, I’m swooning over kick-ass early 20th Century working women today.

Like all 100% cranberry juice, Super Tart! will make you pucker up. There’s a reason mass market brands mix in plenty of sweeter, cheaper fruit juice with their cranberry cocktails. Wait, what kind of tart did you think my Super Tart! represented? Tsk tsk.

My family can tell you that I’m convinced there’s only one way to pronounce the title of this juice. S-s-s-super Tart!, strong emphasis on the s-s-s-sibilance, and with a gradually increasing volume and right to left swing of the head as if the sound is being carried along on the air zooming by your face as you say it. Think: race car in a cartoon.

Super Tart! is a name to be declared with jubilance, I opine.

“Perk up,” that bottle model seems to say to me, “because just look how good we’ve got it!”

And I do so, every. single. time. I pour a glass of the stuff. I take Super Tart! over ice diluted with sparkling water; feel free to add a slice of lime or a shot of vodka if you’re feeling festive. I believe the Super Tart! welcomes all kinds.

♦