Venezuelan Ponche Crema Recipe

Ponche crema is a Venezuelan dairy-based alcoholic beverage made with egg yolks, milk, spices, sweetened condensed milk and strong rum. The egg yolks are usually whipped first before combining with the milk and other ingredients as they are warmed up in a pan. The rum is reserved for last then the mixture is cooled and refrigerated before serving, then topped with cinnamon.

‘Ponche crema’ means cream punch. While the ingredients used to make ponche crema do not vary greatly, the steps of preparation do. After whipping the egg yolks, they may be combined with other ingredients such as the condensed milk before heating up with the whole milk or first added into the milk and heated up before adding the rest of the ingredients. Care is taken not to heat the eggs up to quickly or too hot to avoid curdling.

Some recipe variations call for cornstarch or vanilla flan powder to thicken the mixture particularly in recipes that do not contain many egg yolks or for quick preparations that do not require a lot of whipping.

Any type of rum may be used including white or aged rum. In South America and other warm climates such as the Caribbean, rum is the alcohol of choice for mixed drink since they produce rum in high quantity. Rum is made from sugar cane which grows in tropical regions.

Origin & Cultural Significance

Ponche crema originated from Venezuela. It is a holiday drink, prepared especially for the Christmas season.

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Venezuelan Ponche Crema Recipe

Yield: 12 Servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ponche crema is a Venezuelan dairy-based alcoholic beverage made with egg yolks, milk, spices, sweetened condensed milk and strong rum.

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Ingredients

• Egg yolks - 5
• Sweetened condensed milk - 1 can
• Evaporated milk - 1 can
• Cinnamon stick - 1 stick
• Aged rum - 1 cup
• Vanilla extract - 2 tsp

Instructions

1. In a bowl and with the help of an electric mixer, beat the yolks until a pale-yellow cream is formed, about 10-12 minutes.
2. Add sweetened condensed milk and beat until a homogeneous mixture is formed about 1 more minute.
3. Add evaporated milk and mix until incorporated.
4. Bring the mixture of yolks and milk to a pot and turn the heat down to medium low.
5. Cook, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon, for about 12-15 minutes. Do not to leave the pot unattended at any time to prevent the punch from sticking or clumping. Remove from heat.
6. Add the rum and vanilla extract and stir.
7. Transfer the punch to a sterilized bottle.
8. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving with ice.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 110Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 40mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 3g

Nutrition is provided and calculated by Nutritionix. It is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimation.