Mexican Christmas ponche: recipe with tejocotes and sugar cane

What is it?

Mexican Christmas ponche is a festive hot drink prepared 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 background of spices and a characteristic aroma that perfumes the whole kitchen during its preparation. It is the emblematic drink of Mexican December posadas, the nine celebrations from 16 to 24 December that commemorate the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. It is served in clay jugs, optionally with piquete (a splash of tequila, brandy or rum) for adults. It is also consumed at celebrations of the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe (12 December), New Year and Epiphany. It is indispensable at pastorelas, community festivities and family gatherings in December.

Origin and history

The tradition of hot ponche with fruits and spices has medieval European roots: the Romans prepared hippocras with wine, honey and spices, and the tradition was transmitted through the Spanish Middle Ages. It arrived in New Spain in the 16th century with Spanish friars. The posadas, an originally religious Catholic celebration to commemorate the journey of Mary and Joseph, 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 Spanish. Larousse Cocina identifies Christmas ponche as one of the most representative drinks of the Mexican December season. The modern recipe was consolidated during the 19th and 20th centuries when the nine posadas became popular as a lay community festivity in addition to religious, integrating 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 stick and water. Optional variants include prunes, dried apricots, tamarind, jamaica flower, star anise, clove and orange-tree leaves. The typical proportion is half a kilo of tejocotes, four guavas, two apples, two pears, a quarter of peeled sugar cane, two hundred and fifty grams of piloncillo and three cinnamon sticks per four litres of water. The tejocotes are boiled whole with the skin so that their natural pectins release flavour; once cooked they can stay in the ponche to be eaten with a spoon alongside the drink. The peeled sugar cane is cut into long sticks that serve as edible straws. It is cooked over a low heat for one to two hours so that the flavours integrate. The piquete (aged tequila, brandy or rum) is added individually on serving, not to the whole pot. It is served very hot in a clay jug, decorated with a sugar-cane stick and pieces of fruit.

Cultural significance

Christmas ponche is an indispensable drink of 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 December festivities. The nine posadas, held from 16 to 24 December, represent the nine months of Mary's wait 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 of tejocote, sustains important rural economies in states such as the State of Mexico, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Michoacán and Hidalgo. The tejocote has documented pre-Hispanic origin: Sahagún records its ritual use among the Mexica, who called it texocotl, 'stone fruit'. Today it is indispensable in posadas, Day of the Dead offerings and Epiphany rosca. The tejocote season (October-January) defines the Mexican December calendar. Small-producer cooperatives in San Andrés Calpan (Puebla) and Coatepec Harinas (State of Mexico) preserve traditional cultivation.

Frequently asked questions

What are the essential ingredients of the ponche?

The essential ones are tejocotes, fresh guavas, apples, pears, peeled sugar cane, piloncillo, cinnamon stick and water. Without tejocote it is not considered authentic Christmas ponche: it provides the irreplaceable characteristic flavour. Regional variants add prunes, dried apricots, tamarind, jamaica flower, star anise, clove or orange-tree leaves. The amount 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 wild apple, yellow-orange, with a slightly acidic and aromatic flavour, with a natural pectin that gives the ponche its characteristic body. Sahagún documents it in the 16th century as a sacred fruit of the Mexica. Its season is from October to January, which connects it inseparably with the Mexican December festivities.

When is it traditionally consumed?

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

What does 'con piquete' mean?

'Con piquete' means with alcohol added on serving: traditionally aged tequila, brandy, dark rum or sugar-cane aguardiente. Each adult diner adds a splash to the jug, it is not added to the whole pot so that children can also have the alcohol-free version. The typical amount is 30 to 50 ml per portion. The piquete enhances the spiced flavours and brings additional warmth to the body on cold December nights.