Poncha is the fuel of Madeira, everywhere serves it and everyone drinks it. So deeply embedded is it in the culture of Madeira that it is a Protected Denomination of Origin – you can only get the real thing on Madeira. Hence this is mock poncha.
Blood oranges are also not typical of the real thing in the real place. However, in our order from fine produce purveyor Natoora we got some Sicilian blush oranges (as they squeamishly term them), along with some unwaxed Amalfi coast lemons, so we thought that would make a fine base for a pretend poncha. I liberated the emergency rum from Dani’s side of the bed, dusted off the blender, and off we went!
To make three tumblers of blood orange mock poncha you will need:
- Three long strips of unwaxed lemon zest
Three long strips of blood orange zest
Three blood oranges, peeled with a knife to remove as much pith as possible and roughly chopped into quarters
One large lemon, peeled with a knife to remove as much pith as possible and roughly chopped into quarters
Four heaped teaspoons of unrefined castor sugar
A tumbler full of the roughest white rum you have to hand – cachaça will do nicely
Put all of the above into a blender and whizz up until it is as smooth as you like your fruit juice. Ideally, it should still have some lumps of fruit present in it for maximum authenticity.
The result? A refreshing, fiery drink that will perk up any member of the family. Even if they come from Madeira.
