The delight of punch

  The cold is starting to set in and the festive holiday season is approaching. In our culture, there is no other drink like punch to represent the joy of Christmas in our homes.     It is said that the origin of Christmas punch dates back to quite ancient times. In fact, the myth is that it was the Persians who consumed a drink made of alcohol, water, sugar, and herbs to stay warm in winter during wartime. Some years later, that drink they called panch made its way to Europe where it gained fame until it reached the Spanish who named it ponche in Spanish. The interesting thing about this drink is that it can vary greatly depending on where you order it. In the United States, you can find it almost like a strained fruit juice that can be served with or without alcohol and is even served at school parties. In some other parts of Latin America, punch resembles rompope as it is made from milk or cream and some flavor additive like cocoa or cinnamon. In Mexico, it is well known that it is prepared from a mix of tejocotes, apples, guavas, cinnamon, water, and sometimes tamarind. Of course, it is also optional to add a touch of adulthood by adding a little rum for the holiday parties. Now, what you need to remember is that the starch and sugar concentrate of this December preparation contains a quite high amount of calories. Even though this may sound like something bad for the rest of the year, for December it is good news since it helps us maintain our body temperature in cold times. Moreover, the nutrients from the fruits remain in the punch, making it not only an energy booster but also an excellent source of vitamins C, A, and essential antioxidants. When making punch, we have two important recommendations. The first is that it should be served very hot as this helps the aromas of apple and cinnamon to spread better, making it more appealing. The second is to serve it with all its fruits and not strained, as this is how you enjoy all its benefits and not just the calories. Another important thing to remember is that there are no mistakes in punch; of course, there are some base fruits, but one can experiment and make a berry punch or a citrus punch with lemon, orange, and grapefruit if desired. Similarly, if you plan to add some rum to your preparation, we recommend choosing a sweet cane rum, especially one of Guatemalan origin, as this is where the best rums in the world are distilled in terms of color, texture, and caramelized flavor.   Punch Recipe Ingredients: - cinnamon to taste - 4 cups of hibiscus water - 10 guavas cut in half - 1 1/2 cups of tamarind - 20 tejocotes - 1 cup of raisins - 2 cups of dried apricots - 2 cups of prunes - 10 sugar canes cut into pieces - 8 apples sliced - black tea to taste - cloves to taste Click here to find out how to prepare this recipe.   Share your Punch recipe with us.