 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Poncha" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 Poncha | |
| Type | Cocktail |
|---|---|
| Ingredients |
|
| Standard drinkware | Old fashioned glass |
| Standard garnish | sugar cane, lime (ingredient) |
| Served | no ice |
| Preparation | Place lemon rind and sugar into old fashioned glass and muddle (mash the two ingredients together using a 'mexelote' or a wooden spoon). Add theaguardente de cana and lemon juice. |
Poncha is a traditional alcoholic drink from the island ofMadeira, made withaguardente de cana (distilled alcohol made from sugar cane juice),honey,sugar, and eitherorange juice orlemon juice. Some varieties include other fruit juices.[1]
It is mixed together with a mixing tool created in Madeira officially called amexelote but more commonly known as acaralhinho (little cock), a type ofmuddler.Caipirinha is based on poncha.[2][3]
It is said in Madeira that poncha cures the common cold and people are encouraged to drink it if they have cold-like symptoms.[citation needed]
The drink may be based on an Indian drink called pãnch/panch.[citation needed] InHindipãnch/panch meansfive and the drink was originally made with five ingredients:alcohol,sugar,lemon, water, andtea orspices. This is also where the English drinkpunch originated from.[citation needed]