The Fruity Punch That's A Staple At Mexican Christmas Celebrations

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Celebrating the holidays is all about gathering loved ones and sharing goodwill. On the menu in the U.S., we favor our glazed ham and roast turkey. While Christmas dinner around the world can be quite different, it still usually leans toward homey comfort foods that bring a warm nostalgia to the gathering. A typical Mexican Christmas often features cozy staples like tamales, pozole, enchiladas, and maybe even a little carne asada or stewed pork. And when it comes to what to sip on during the holiday meal, Mexico's top contender in the festive holiday drinks category would have to be ponche navideño, or Christmas punch.

Ponche navideño is one of the delicious non-alcoholic Mexican drinks you can make at home. It's perfectly appropriate for the kids' table, although, it can be delicious with a touch of booze as well. Ponche navideño is sort of a like a mulled wine without the wine or a hot spiced cider with a wider flavor spectrum — often focusing on tropical or warmer climate fruits. It is hot, sweet, incredibly tasty, and it's super easy to customize to your preferred flavors. If you can't find the traditional ingredients, there are plenty of American supermarket stand-ins that will work great. You just need water, sweetener, spices, and a mixture of dried and fresh fruits.

Ponche navideño is traditionally served at a Mexican posada — a Christmas tradition that originated in Spain and commemorates the biblical Mary and Joseph's voyage to Bethlehem, as they stopped to ask for shelter at posadas (inns) along the way. The punch is also frequently made at home or sold on the street or in town squares during the Christmas season.

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Most ponche navideño starts with just water and piloncillo, which is a cone-shaped, hard, unrefined sugar made from boiling cane juice and pouring it into (usually cone-shaped) molds to harden. It has more of a deep and dark caramel flavor than regular sugar and is available at Mexican and Latin-American grocery stores and many larger American chain stores. However, if you can't find piloncillo, unrefined muscovado or even a dark brown sugar will work. You'll need to dissolve the sugar in simmering water and add some cinnamon sticks and whole cloves to get the spiced element going.

In Mexico, many Christmas punches use tejocote, also known as Mexican hawthorn, as the main fruity ingredient. Tejocotes are small yellow, orange tree fruits that are distantly related to apples and pears and resemble a small crabapple. They are a bit more bitter than apples but cook up soft and sweet in a ponche. However, if you can't find tejocotes locally, a nice acidic chopped granny smith apple will work in its place. Depending on the flavors you're going for, you can add sliced or chopped guava, peeled tamarind pods (or paste), and some raisins and prunes.

For a bit more tartness, dried hibiscus flowers and some sour dried cherries, fresh or dried cranberries, and lemon juice work great to cut down on the sugary sweetness. Whole sliced oranges or orange peels will balance beautifully with the cinnamon and clove, but you can make it more sweet and acidic with pineapple or go all the way sweet and tropical with papaya, passion fruit, or mango. Just let it all simmer until it tastes as cozy as you want it. And for even more warmth, you can add a splash of sweet vermouth, rum, brandy, or tequila.