Posada Element #5: Ponche
This sweet, warm punch is made with piloncillo, cinnamon, dried fruit, and seasonal fruits including guava and tejocote. Tejocote is a small, round, apple-like fruit that’s often available canned in Latino supermarkets. The best part of making ponche from scratch is the hour-long wait while it cooks—your house fills with an intoxicating, sweet-spicy aroma. (Seriously, you’ll want to bottle it up and save it for later.) For ponche recipes, check out the excellent Karen Hursh Graber’s version at MexConnect, or for a fancified ponche cocktail, there’s this recipe adapted from famed Los Angeles chef John Sedlar. It’s customary to add rum or brandy to ponche, known as a piquete, for an extra kick.
Enjoy!
