Ingredients

  • 2 ozwhite rum
  • ¾ ozhoney syrup
  • ½ ozfresh lemon juice
  • ½ ozfresh orange juice
  • 🍋Orange slice(garnish)

🔧 Tools

muddlerjigger

Instructions

  1. Add honey to a rocks glass or small bowl.
  2. Add lemon and orange juice.
  3. Muddle vigorously to dissolve the honey (traditionally with a wooden caralhinho stick).
  4. Add aguardente de cana (or substitute white rum) and stir.
  5. Serve without ice in the traditional style, or over ice for a modern approach.
  6. Garnish with an orange slice.

📜 History

Poncha has been the signature drink of Madeira for centuries, with origins traced to fishermen and farmers who mixed the island's sugar cane spirit with honey to ward off cold and illness. The drink is traditionally prepared using a "caralhinho," a wooden stick with a forked end used to muddle and mix ingredients. Poncha bars (poncha houses) are essential Madeiran cultural institutions.

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