Ponche Navideño (Mexican Christmas Fruit Punch)

Before you start

Ponche navideño is the hot fruit punch served across Mexico during the Christmas season, especially at the posadas in the days before Christmas. A big pot simmers with whole and chopped fruits, cinnamon and piloncillo until the liquid is sweet, fragrant and amber, and each cup gets a ladle of soft fruit to eat with a spoon.

The defining fruit is the tejocote, a small golden fruit related to the hawthorn with a tart, floral flavor. In the United States they are usually sold frozen or in jars at Mexican grocers. Guava gives the punch its unmistakable perfume, and sticks of sugarcane add a clean sweetness and something to chew. Many families also add hibiscus flowers for color and tartness. Adults often add a splash of rum or brandy to their cup, called con piquete.

Ingredients

• 3 liters (12½ cups) water
• 200 g (1 small cone) piloncillo — or 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks — Mexican canela if possible
• 15 g (½ cup) dried hibiscus flowers — optional, for color and tartness
• 250 g (about 15) tejocotes — fresh, frozen or jarred
• 4 guavas — fresh or frozen, quartered
• 2 apples — cored and diced
• 2 pears — cored and diced
• 2 pieces (15 cm / 6 in each) sugarcane — peeled and cut into thin sticks
• 100 g (about ⅔ cup) pitted prunes
• 50 g (⅓ cup) raisins
• 1 orange — sliced
• 30 to 45 ml (1 to 1½ oz) per cup rum, brandy or tequila — optional, for adults

Method

1. If using fresh tejocotes, simmer them in a small saucepan of water for 5 minutes, drain, then peel off the skins and cut out the stem end; halve them and remove the seeds if you like. Jarred tejocotes are ready to use, and frozen ones can go in whole.
2. Put the water, piloncillo, cinnamon and hibiscus, if using, in the stockpot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, until the piloncillo has dissolved and the liquid is deep red. Strain out the hibiscus if you prefer a clear punch, then return the liquid to the pot.
3. Add the tejocotes, sugarcane and prunes, which are the firmest ingredients. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.
4. Add the guavas, apples, pears, raisins and orange slices. Simmer over low heat for another 20 minutes, until the apples and pears are tender but still hold their shape.
5. Taste the liquid. It should be sweet, fruity and lightly tart. Add more piloncillo for sweetness, or a squeeze of lime if it tastes flat.
6. Serve hot, ladling plenty of fruit and a sugarcane stick into each mug with spoons. For adults, add 30 to 45 ml of rum or brandy to individual mugs only, so the pot stays alcohol-free.

Tips for success

• Cut the apples and pears in similar-sized pieces, about 2 cm (¾ in), so they cook at the same rate.
• Guavas have hard seeds. Some cooks scoop them out before adding the fruit, which makes the punch easier to drink.
• Ponche tastes better after resting. Make it a few hours ahead and reheat gently before guests arrive.

Substitutions

Tejocotes

Use kumquats or crab apples, or simply extra firm apple and a few dried apricots. The punch loses some of its distinct floral tartness but stays delicious.

Sugarcane

Leave it out and add 2 tbsp more piloncillo. Canned sugarcane in syrup works, but rinse it first.

Piloncillo

Dark brown sugar plus 1 tbsp molasses gives a similar caramel depth. Granulated sugar works but makes a flatter, less complex punch.

Variations

Ponche with hibiscus and tamarind

Add 3 peeled tamarind pods with the firm fruits for a deeper sour note.

Smaller pot

Halve every ingredient for about 6 cups; the simmer times stay the same.

Troubleshooting

The fruit turned to mush

It simmered too hard or too long. Add the soft fruits in the last 20 minutes and keep the pot at a gentle simmer.

It tastes too sweet

Add a squeeze of lime or more hibiscus steeped in a little hot water, and dilute with hot water if needed.

It tastes thin and watery

Simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes to concentrate it, and add another guava or a little more piloncillo.

Storage

Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate the punch with its fruit, covered, for up to 4 days. Reheat over medium-low heat until steaming. Do not leave the pot out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Safety notes

The punch itself is alcohol-free. When served con piquete, 45 ml of 40% ABV rum or brandy is about 1 U.S. standard drink, and 30 ml about two thirds of one. Add spirits only to adult cups, serve only those of legal drinking age, and do not drive after drinking.