Ponche de crème

Ingredients

The eggs

• 6eggs
• pasteurised, or shell eggs
• see the note
• grated zest of 1 lime

The base

• 2 tinscondensed milk
• about 800 g
• 400 mlevaporated milk
• or fresh cream

The rum and spice

• 400 mldark rum
• or to taste
• 2 teaspoonsgrated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoonAngostura bitters
• 1 teaspoonvanilla
• a strip of lime peel

To serve

• well chilled
• over ice
• with more nutmeg grated on

Directions

1. Use pasteurised eggs if any will drink it. But not reliably or quickly enough. Adjust it all to your own taste. It is easy to drink too much of. Whisk the eggs until pale and frothy. Whisk them for several minutes. They should lighten in colour.
2. Whisk in the grated lime zest. Whisk in the condensed milk gradually. Add it in a slow steady stream. Whisk constantly as it goes in. Take your proper time over it.
3. Whisk in all the evaporated milk. Condensed milk alone is far too thick. Add it in gradually as well now. Whisk in all of the rum gradually. Add it slowly rather than all at once. Whisk constantly as it goes in. That keeps the whole thing smooth.
4. Taste it as you add it all in. Whisk in the nutmeg and bitters. Add the vanilla to them as well. That teaspoon is genuinely enough. Add more only if it tastes flat. It is worth the one extra minute. Pour it into clean dry bottles. Seal all of the bottles tightly. It must be refrigerated throughout. Keep it cold at absolutely all times. It keeps about two weeks refrigerated.
5. Discard it if it smells at all off. Discard it if it separates badly. Refrigerate it for several hours. Whisk the eggs with the milks. Heat it gently while stirring. Keep it well below a proper simmer. Stir it constantly throughout.
6. Take it off before it ever boils. It should coat the back of a spoon. Use a thermometer if you have one. Let the custard cool completely. Rum added to hot custard evaporates.
7. Cool it right down completely first. Then whisk the cold rum into it. Pour it into small glasses over ice. Grate fresh nutmeg over the top. A small glass is quite enough. Shake the bottle before pouring.

Technique

• This drink contains raw egg that is never cooked, which carries a small but genuine salmonella risk. Pasteurised eggs remove it entirely, whisk exactly the same way and are the straightforward answer — use them if anyone pregnant, very young or with low immunity will drink it. The alcohol does reduce bacteria over time but not reliably or quickly enough to be a substitute, and the atlas says that plainly rather than hiding it. A cooked custard base is the other route and removes the risk entirely.
• Add the rum gradually while whisking constantly rather than all at once, since alcohol added fast can curdle the eggs. The same applies to the condensed milk, which goes lumpy if poured in quickly.
• It must be refrigerated throughout, since it contains raw egg and milk and the alcohol helps but does not preserve it. It keeps about two weeks cold; discard it if it smells off or separates badly, though some settling is normal.

Substitutions

• For the cooked version, whisk the eggs with the milks and heat gently while stirring, keeping it well below a simmer until it coats the back of a spoon at about eighty degrees — beyond that the egg scrambles. Cool it completely before the rum goes in, since rum in hot custard evaporates and curdles it.
• Fresh cream stands in for evaporated milk, which thins the mixture to drinking consistency; condensed milk alone is far too thick and already sweet enough that no sugar is needed.

Variations

• Lime zest whisked into the eggs cuts the richness and masks any eggy smell, which is the real reason it is traditional.
• Angostura bitters are made in Trinidad and are very concentrated, so a teaspoon is genuinely enough; they cut the sweetness of the drink.
• The sweetness hides the alcohol entirely and it is easy to drink too much of, which is worth saying plainly; it is served in small glasses rather than by the tumbler.

History

Rum, eggs, condensed milk and bitters whisked at Christmas, a Trinidadian relative of eggnog bottled in every household.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ponche de crème?

Ponche de crème is a cocktail from Trinidad and Tobago: rum-spiked eggnog with nutmeg and bitters. Rum, eggs, condensed milk and bitters whisked at Christmas, a Trinidadian relative of eggnog bottled in every household.

How long does Ponche de crème take to make?

Ponche de crème takes 20 minutes of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes about 1.5 litres. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Ponche de crème?

Yes, within limits. For the cooked version, whisk the eggs with the milks and heat gently while stirring, keeping it well below a simmer until it coats the back of a spoon at about eighty degrees — beyond that the egg scrambles. Cool it completely before the rum goes in, since rum in hot custard evaporates and curdles it. Fresh cream stands in for evaporated milk, which thins the mixture to drinking consistency; condensed milk alone is far too thick and already sweet enough that no sugar is needed.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ponche de crème?

Whisk in all the evaporated milk. Condensed milk alone is far too thick. Add it in gradually as well now. Whisk in all of the rum gradually. Add it slowly rather than all at once. Whisk constantly as it goes in. That keeps the whole thing smooth.