Ingredients
Fruit
- 300 gtejocotes, or 4 crab apples
- 4guavas, quartered
- 2apples, chopped
- 150 gpitted prunes
- 100 graisins
- 3 sticksfresh sugarcane, peeled and cut in batons
- 2pears, chopped
Aromatics
- 4cinnamon sticks
- 40 gdried hibiscus flowers
- 1 tbsptamarind pulp, or 3 tamarind pods
- 6whole cloves
- 1star anise, if wanted
Liquid
- 4 litreswater
- 250 gpiloncillo, or dark brown sugar
To finish
- rum or brandy, for a piquete
- extra fruit, for the cups
Equipment
- a very large pot
- a ladle
Directions
- Wash them and cut off the stem and the blossom end. Peel off the hard outer rind with a heavy knife. Work away from yourself, since the rind is tough and the knife can slip. Cut the peeled cane into short batons. Wash them and cut them into quarters.
- Leave the seeds in, since they are edible. They should not be boiled for the whole cooking time. Put the water in a very large pot. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves and star anise. Add the tamarind and the piloncillo.
- Bring it to the boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Adding the fruit is done in order of hardness.
- Add the tejocotes and the sugarcane first. Simmer them for twenty minutes. Add the apples and pears next. Simmer for another fifteen minutes. Add the guavas, prunes and raisins.
- Simmer for a further fifteen minutes. Adding the hibiscus is done near the end. Add the dried hibiscus flowers for the last ten minutes only.
- Taste it and remove them when the colour and sourness are right. It should be sweet, sour and strongly spiced. Add more piloncillo if it is too sharp. Add hot water if it has reduced too far. Serving it is done piping hot.
- Ladle the liquid and a good amount of fruit into each cup. Add a shot of rum or brandy for those who want it. Add it to the individual cup rather than the pot. It is drunk hot, outdoors, on cold December nights.
Technique
- Add the hibiscus only for the last ten minutes, since long boiling turns it harsh.
- Add the fruit in order of hardness so nothing collapses.
- Add the spirit to individual cups rather than the pot, so everyone can drink from it.
Substitutions
- Crab apples in place of tejocotes.
- Tinned or frozen tejocotes, sold in Mexican shops.
Variations
- With more tamarind for a sharper punch.
- Made without hibiscus, which is optional.
- With sliced orange added at the end.
History
Drunk at the nine nights of posadas before Christmas, often spiked with a piquete of rum or brandy.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ponche navideño?
Ponche navideño is a drink from Mexico: hot punch of tejocote, guava, sugarcane, hibiscus and cinnamon, ladled from a pot. Drunk at the nine nights of posadas before Christmas, often spiked with a piquete of rum or brandy.
How long does Ponche navideño take to make?
Ponche navideño takes 30 min of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes 10 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Ponche navideño?
Yes, within limits. Crab apples in place of tejocotes. Tinned or frozen tejocotes, sold in Mexican shops.
What is the most important thing to get right in Ponche navideño?
Leave the seeds in, since they are edible. They should not be boiled for the whole cooking time. Put the water in a very large pot. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves and star anise. Add the tamarind and the piloncillo.
