Mexican Christmas ponche: what's in it and how to make it

What is it?

Mexican Christmas ponche is a festive hot drink made with seasonal fruits (tejocotes, guavas, apples, pears), peeled sugar cane, piloncillo, cinnamon and water, boiled at length to infuse all the flavours. It has a deep amber colour, a fruity-sweet flavour with a warm undertone of spices and a characteristic aroma that perfumes the whole kitchen as it is prepared. It is the emblematic drink of the Mexican December posadas, the nine celebrations from 16 to 24 December that commemorate Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem. It is served in clay mugs, optionally with a piquete (a splash of tequila, brandy or rum) for the adults. It is also drunk during the festivities of the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe (12 December), New Year and Epiphany. It is indispensable at nativity plays, community gatherings and December family get-togethers.

Origin and history

The tradition of hot punch with fruits and spices has medieval European roots: the Romans made hippocras with wine, honey and spices, and the tradition was passed down through the Spanish Middle Ages. It reached New Spain in the sixteenth century with the Spanish friars. The posadas, originally a Catholic religious celebration commemorating Mary and Joseph's journey, were introduced by the Augustinians in San Agustín Acolman (State of Mexico) in 1587, authorised by Pope Sixtus V. The ponche, integrated into these celebrations, was enriched with local Mexican fruits: the tejocote (Crataegus mexicana) is endemic to the country, the guava was a Mesoamerican fruit, and sugar cane arrived with the Spaniards. Larousse Cocina identifies Christmas ponche as one of the most representative drinks of the Mexican December season. The modern recipe took shape during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as the nine posadas became popular as a secular as well as religious community festivity, incorporating syncretic cultural elements.

Characteristic ingredients

The essential ingredients are tejocotes (which provide the irreplaceable characteristic flavour), fresh guavas, apples, pears, peeled sugar cane in long pieces, piloncillo, cinnamon sticks and water. Optional variants include prunes, dried peach (orejones), tamarind, hibiscus flower, star anise, cloves and orange leaves. The typical proportion is half a kilo of tejocotes, four guavas, two apples, two pears, a quarter of cane peeled, two hundred and fifty grams of piloncillo and three cinnamon sticks per four litres of water. The tejocotes are boiled whole with their skin so that their natural pectins release flavour; once cooked they can remain in the ponche to be eaten with a spoon alongside the drink. The peeled cane is cut into long sticks that serve as edible straws. It is simmered for one to two hours so the flavours integrate. The piquete (reposado tequila, brandy or rum) is added individually on serving, not to the whole pot. It is served very hot in a clay mug, garnished with a cane stick and pieces of fruit.

Cultural significance

Christmas ponche is the indispensable drink of the Mexican posadas, one of the most representative celebrations of the country's syncretic cultural identity. Traditional Mexican cuisine, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2010, includes ponche among the symbolic preparations of the December festivities. The nine posadas, held from 16 to 24 December, represent the nine months Mary waited before the birth of Jesus, according to Catholic tradition. At each one a litany is prayed, a piñata is broken and ponche is served with tamales and buñuelos. The industry of ponche fruits, especially the tejocote, sustains important rural economies in states such as the State of Mexico, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Michoacán and Hidalgo. The tejocote has a documented pre-Hispanic origin: Sahagún records its ritual use among the Mexica, who called it texocotl, 'fruit of stone'. Today it is indispensable at posadas, Day of the Dead altars and the Epiphany rosca. The tejocote season (October to January) defines the Mexican December calendar. Cooperatives of small producers in San Andrés Calpan (Puebla) and Coatepec Harinas (State of Mexico) preserve the traditional crop.

Frequently asked questions

What are the essential ingredients of ponche?

The essentials are tejocotes, fresh guavas, apples, pears, peeled sugar cane, piloncillo, cinnamon sticks and water. Without tejocote it is not considered authentic Christmas ponche: it provides the irreplaceable characteristic flavour. Regional variants add prunes, dried peach, tamarind, hibiscus flower, star anise, cloves or orange leaves. The quantity and proportion can be adjusted to family taste.

What is the tejocote and why is it important?

The tejocote (Crataegus mexicana) is a fruit endemic to Mexico with pre-Hispanic roots. It is a small, yellow-orange wild apple with a slightly tart, aromatic flavour and a natural pectin that gives the ponche its characteristic body. Sahagún documents it in the sixteenth century as a sacred fruit of the Mexica. Its season runs from October to January, which inseparably connects it with the Mexican December festivities.

When is it traditionally drunk?

It is drunk throughout the Mexican December season: the nine posadas (16-24 December), Christmas Eve, Christmas, the Guadalupe celebrations of 12 December, New Year and Epiphany (6 January). Also at community nativity plays and winter family gatherings. It is a drink that gives identity to the whole Mexican Christmas season, associated with the December cold and with year-end family and community gatherings.

What does 'con piquete' mean?

'Con piquete' means with alcohol added on serving: traditionally reposado tequila, brandy, dark rum or cane spirit. Each adult guest adds a splash to their mug; it is not added to the whole pot so that children can also have the non-alcoholic version. The typical amount is 30 to 50 ml per serving. The piquete enhances the spiced flavours and adds extra warmth to the body on cold December nights.