Ponche de Navidad 19– (Christmas Punch)

 

Cold weather and long winter evenings make this the perfect time to gather some friends and make holiday punch (ponche)! Pull out your prettiest mugs and serve this punch with a few pieces of the cooked fruit, especially the raisins, prunes or dried apricots. The flavors seep into the plumped fruit until those sweet bites become an accompanying dessert.

---

About Así Se Cocina en Muzquiz

This recipe comes from the cookbook, Así Se Cocina en Muzquiz, a community cookbook published by Castillas Impresores, year unknown. It is a compilation of family recipes passed down from generation to generation in the city of Muzquiz, Coahuila.

This ponche recipe makes a wonderful cinnamon-apple cider-like drink. Other punch recipes suggest that apricots or kumquats can be substituted for tejocote. Dried apricots are worth adding for the treat they are to eat when the punch is done cooking!

Castilla, S. Jesús. Asi se cocina en Muzquiz. Saltillo, México : Castillas Impresores, [19–]. [TX716 .M4 A849]

Original Recipe

Ponche de Navidad, Pp. 4

5 litros de agua
1 kg. de guayaba cortada
1 kg. de tamarindo limpio
2 pedazos de caña en trocitos
½ kg. de tejocote
2 paquetes de ciruela pasa
¼ kg. de pasas de uva
1 raja grande de canela
Azúca al gusto

Se pone a hervir poniendo primero la fruta mas dura, agregando el azúcar que se desea según lo dulce que se quiera preparar; despues el resto de la fruta, se puede servir agregando un poco de brandy o solo si se prefiere se sirve caliente.

Doña Chema Romo de Urista

Translated Recipe

Christmas Punch, Pp. 4

5 liters of water
1 kg. chopped guava
1 kg. tamarind, cleaned
Two pieces of sugar cane, cut into small pieces
½ kg. tejocote
2 packages of prunes
¼ kg. raisins
1 large cinnamon stick
Sugar to taste

Boil the harder fruit first, adding sugar to achieve the desired sweetness as it is cooking. Then, add the rest of the fruit. The punch can be served with a little brandy added, or just by itself if you prefer. Serve warm.

Mrs. Chema Romo de Urista

Ingredients

Guava (Guayaba): A tropical fruit native to Mexico, grown in Central America, the Caribbean, and Northern South America. You can typically find it at your local Mexican grocery store.

Tamarind: The fruit of a leguminous tree native to Africa, and naturalized in Asia. The fruit of the pulp is acidic and slightly sweet. The pod is covered in a hard brown shell that needs to be removed. You can find it at your local Mexican grocery store.

Tejocote: Is a species of Hawthorne native to the mountains of Mexico. The fruit is small and yellow-orange and looks like a small apple. You can find it at your local Mexican grocery store. It can be substituted with apricots or kumquats.

Sugar Cane: A species of tall perennial grass used for making sugar. You can find it at your local Mexican grocery store. Peel it before adding it to the ponche.

Making Ponche Step by Step

Serving

Serve immediately while still warm with some of the fruit in the cup.. You can add your spirit of choice if you like.

Storing

Store in an air tight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.