Poncha

Ingredients

Drink

• 200 mlaguardente de cana, Madeiran sugarcane spirit
• 120 mlfresh lemon juice, from about 4 lemons
• 6 tbspMadeiran honey

Optional

• juice of 2 oranges, for poncha de laranja
• passion fruit pulp, for poncha de maracujá

Equipment

• a caralhinho, the traditional wooden stirring stick
• or a whisk

To serve

• in short tumblers, at room temperature

Directions

1. Squeeze the lemons fresh, immediately before mixing.
2. Put the honey in the jug or bowl first. Now work the honey and lemon together with the stick until the honey has completely dissolved.
3. Use a real honey with character.
4. Add the rest of the lemon juice and stir again. Now add the aguardente and stir hard, spinning the stick between your palms for a good minute.
5. Taste it, and adjust the honey and lemon against each other. It should be sharp first, then sweet, with the spirit clearly present but not raw.
6. Serve it in short tumblers at room temperature, and traditionally with no ice at all. Fishermen drank it as a remedy for colds and for the cold itself, and the honey and lemon origin is plain enough in the recipe.

Technique

• Aguardente de cana is bottled in Madeira and is quite different from Brazilian cachaça in character.
• The caralhinho is sold as a souvenir and is genuinely the right tool.
• It is strong and it is deceptively easy to drink.

Substitutions

• White rum or cachaça in place of aguardente de cana, which is close in spirit if not in flavour.
• Any strong dark honey.

Variations

• Poncha de maracujá, with passion fruit.
• Poncha de laranja, with orange.
• Nikita, the related Madeiran drink with beer, pineapple and ice cream.

History

Drunk by Madeiran fishermen as a cold remedy, made with aguardente de cana from the island’s sugar mills and stirred with a wooden caralhinho.

Frequently asked questions

What is Poncha?

Poncha is a cocktail from Portugal: madeiran mix of cane spirit, honey and lemon, stirred vigorously. Drunk by Madeiran fishermen as a cold remedy, made with aguardente de cana from the island’s sugar mills and stirred with a wooden caralhinho.

How long does Poncha take to make?

Poncha takes 10 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 4 drinks. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Poncha?

Yes, within limits. White rum or cachaça in place of aguardente de cana, which is close in spirit if not in flavour. Any strong dark honey.