Here in Mexico, Ponche Navideño, or Christmas Punch, is a highlight of the season, especially when gathering with family and friends to celebrate. You will find this punch at most parties and posadas.
HISTORY
Although a classic Mexican holiday drink, its origins come from halfway around the world in India. It is known as ‘pac,’ which refers to its five original ingredients: alcohol, sugar, water, lemon, and tea. It was the Spanish conquistadors who brought this drink to Mexico. With all the tropical fruits available in New Spain, they naturally made their way into the Indian recipe.
These seasonal Mexican fruits include guava, tamarind, hibiscus, pineapple, prunes, apple, and tejocotes, an orange-red sour apple resembling a crabapple, a species of Hawthorne.
The Aztec word tejocote comes from the Nahuatl texócotl, meaning stone, and xocotls, meaning fruit with a bittersweet taste. Tejocotes give zing to ponche. Piloncillo, that cone-shaped piece of sugar cane, is included in some recipes but may not be necessary depending on the sweetness of the fruit.
HEALTH BENEFITS
There are also many health benefits to ponche that help strengthen the immune system while warding off colds and flu typical of the holiday season. It provides a host of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.
Guava, rich in vitamin C, prevents respiratory problems, especially in winter. In addition, it contributes a significant amount of vitamin A, niacin (vitamin B3), potassium, calcium and sodium. It is high in fiber, so it has laxative properties and helps reduce high blood glucose levels. It also contains bioactive phenolic compounds, flavonoids, carotenoids and terpenoids, which give it its antioxidant power, preventing cell and DNA damage.
Tejocote is rich in vitamin A, as well as calcium and iron, vitamins and minerals essential for different biological processes such as maintaining bone health and preventing iron deficiency anemia.
Tamarind is high in B vitamins, as well as C and E, and is high in fiber. It also contains essential minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus.
Prunes and Raisins, with their natural sweetness, provide potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, zinc, and B vitamins.
Hibiscus is recognized for its therapeutic and medicinal properties, offering antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antihypertensive benefits.
Piloncillo (sugarcane) contains calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, vitamins (B2, B3, B6, and B9), and minerals (zinc, phosphorus, sodium, and selenium). In addition, the alpha hydroxy acids it contains improve the skin’s health and hydration.
There are more than 100 different ponche recipes with and without alcohol to drink hot or cold, some containing egg, beer, or coffee, prepared with grape juice, milk, and other fruits like peach, pear, or pineapple.
Here is my friend’s GRANDMA’S PONCHE RECIPE, which is close to the original from centuries ago.
INGREDIENTS:
4 Liters of water
4 cinnamon sticks
2 whole cloves
1 star anise
1 Piloncillo cone
Half a kilo of tejocotes
4 small yellow apples, chopped bite-sized
6 guavas, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
¾ cup of prunes
¾ cup raisins
3½ oz. dry hibiscus flowers
6 tablespoons tamarind paste
PREPARATION:
Peel the tejocotes by soaking them in hot water for just ten seconds. This will help the shell to swell a little. Remove the shell using a napkin. It will come off more easily without losing the shape of the fruit.
Once you have peeled and cut all the fruit, continue:
1. Place the water in a large pot to heat.
2. After about 15 minutes, add the piloncillo and spices.
3. It is important that you place the fruit in order of consistency since the time it takes to boil depends on that: sugar cane, tejocote (takes a while to soften), guava, apple, prune, raisins, hibiscus, add them in batches.
5. Add tamarind paste.
4. Cook over low heat for about one hour. Stir occasionally.
5. Serve warm in traditional ceramic mugs. You can also add a bit of whiskey, rum, or tequila to each cup.
Ponche Navideño is often served with tamales or buñuelos, fried dough covered in cinnamon sugar during the holidays.
