Ponche Navideño Margarita

Ponche Navideño is a warm punch served throughout the Holiday season in Mexico. Made with tejocotes or crab apples, guavas and spiced with prunes, piloncillo, canela and served punch bowl style for guests to serve themselves. Today I’m transforming the ponche navideño into a margarita, that is perfect for your holiday parties or tamalada.

I served my ponche navideño margarita at my tamalada with La Michoacana Meat Market and boy was it a hit.

If you caught my Instagram stories you noticed I served it in a cazuela. I love serving cocktails in beautiful cazuelas de barro. The presentation is stunning, and it also allows guest to serve themselves.

My house smelled heavenly as the ponche simmered away on the stove.

I placed lime wedges and salt for guest to rim their own glasses.

You can find jars or ready-made ponche navideño in the Latin section at your grocery store which work well, but I wanted to share the original recipe from my cocktail book Latin Twist that I use every year. Typically, ponche navideño is served with tequila or brandy on the side so guests may spike their own drink, but in this version,  I add the tequila to create a big-batch cocktail.

Flavors in Ponche Navideño

piloncillo–  unrefined sugar usually found shaped into cones, named after the word pilon, piloncillo is made from extracting sugar can juices then cooking until a caramel consistency which is then poured into molds.  They can be found in two size 3/4 ounces or

tejocotes – are a Mexico winter fruit,  a crab apple taste with a hard seed.  They were once not allowed in the US because they harbor an exotic insect pest, they are available now  fresh, frozen or  jarred.

guavas–  plum sized, yellowish skin fruit with a pear like taste.  their inside is filled with smaller seeds, some edible other very tough.  they can be used for liquados, aguas or candied.  they are also found in almibar ( sugar syrup).  I love them for their smell reminds me of my grandfather.

tamarind –  resembles a brown bean pod,  with a sweet/tart taste.  remove the brown outer husk to peel the pulp with your fingers or boil the entire pod to make removing easier.  tamarind paste, pulp or puree can be found at most store. you can use it to make aguas, cocktail, marinades and sauces.