Ponche Navideno (Mexican Christmas Fruit Punch)

A couple months ago I was lucky enough to attend an event at Melissa’s with Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack and Vianney Rodriguez focusing on their awesome new cocktail book, Latin Twist. Not only did I learn what constitutes a Latin cocktail (they hail from several different Latin countries), I got to sample a few as well. The Ponche was one of my favorites. But since it’s commonly served during the holiday season, I chose to wait until now to share it with you.

Unlike most of the cocktails I share here on Kitchy, this one is not a single serving. It’s a punch, which means at least a dozen people can enjoy it. Since it’s commonly served around the holidays, it’s the ideal choice for a party or large Christmas dinner. What also makes this cocktail unique is that it can be served with or without alcohol. See, the punch is made first, then once it’s ready to serve, it’s ladeled into mugs. At that point the imbiber gets to choose whether or not they want to add alcohol, which is why it’s the perfect drink for a party because adults, children and designated drivers can all enjoy it.

Although no one knows for sure who or when the Ponche was created, historians agree that the punch concept originated in India. English sailors took a liking to it and brought it to Europe. From there Spaniards, probably carried the tradition on to Mexico.

What makes this drink classically Mexican are its base ingredients. All ponche uses piloncillo, a dark-brown unrefined cane sugar, guavas, and tejocotes, a type of crab apple. From there you can add almost any winter fruits you want from prunes to oranges to cinnamon sticks and sugar cane (all of which are available from Melissa’s Produce). The combination of those flavors is intoxicating, and the smells that emanate through the kitchen definitely scream the holidays. It’s delectable, delicious and absolutely wonderful! So if you have nothing else on your menu, start with this. If you’re not making anything else though, that’s totally okay as this will make you the most popular person at the party.

Ponche Navideño

Ingredients:

• 16 cups water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 8 whole cloves
• 5 tamarind pods, husks removed and seeded
• 1/2 pound tejocotes or crab apples, left whole
• 6 large guavas, peeled and diced
• 2 red apples, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 pear, peeled, cored and diced
• 2 sugar cane sticks, peeled and diced
• 1 cup pitted prunes
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 orange, sliced
• 8 ounces piloncillo, chopped or 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 ounce brandy or tequila per cup (optional)

Directions:

1. Place the water, cinnamon sticks, cloves, tamarind pods and tejocotes (or crab apples) in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. After it starts to boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until the tejocotes are soft.
2. Remove the tejocotes from the pot with a slotted spoon, peel, remove the ends, cut in half, deseed and return to the pot.
3. Add the guavas, apples, pear, sugarcane, prunes, raisins, orange slices and piloncillo. Simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring gently. Discard the cinnamon sticks and cloves with a slotted spoon.
4. Ladle the liquid into mugs making sure some fruit gets into each cup. Add an ounce of brandy or tequila to each cup (if desired) and serve.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. Melissa’s provided me with the tamarind pods and piloncillo for recipe testing. As always, any opinion expressed is my own and is not influenced in any way by the manufacturer/PR firm as I only review products that I have personally tested and endorse.