This traditional hot fruit punch is served at Christmas and on New Year’s Eve throughout Guatemala, Mexico, and the rest of Latin America. Also known as Ponche Navideño, it’s perfect for serving a crowd and features a bounty of fresh fruit and spices that are both warming and festive.
Ingredients
So, apart from pineapple rinds, what other ingredients go into making ponche de frutas? Basically whatever fruit is seasonal.
Typically, it will be an assortment of: apples (fresh and dried), plums, prunes, pears, raisins, plantain, guava, tejocote (tart apples), and sometimes coconut plus spices. In Mexico, Ponche Navideño usually includes flor de jamaica (hibiscus flowers) which adds a tartness and bright red color.
If you’d like to add flor de jamaica to your punch, boil the flowers at the same time as the pineapple rind.
How to Make Ponche de Frutas