Poncha: How strong is Madeira’s Traditional Cocktail?

If you’re travelling to Madeira, or if you’re in Madeira right now, I’m sure you’re curious about poncha. If you want some quick, key facts, here’s all you need to know:

• Poncha is Madeira’s favourite cocktail going back centuries

• It’s made out of aguardente de cana, bee honey, and fruit juice. The traditional one uses lemon, but there’s also passion fruit poncha, tangerine, orange, tamarillo, and others

• Bottled poncha is often 25%, but fresh recipes can have up to 40% alcohol, which means a single glass of poncha can have as much alcohol as a vodka

• All of this turns poncha into a sneaky cocktail. The sweetness of the fruit masks the high alcohol content, and the small, unassuming poncha glasses are very deceiving!
  
  

  Where does Madeira rum come From?

  Before we get into the details, let me rewind to 1419. Yes, it’s a long rewind, but bear with me. That’s the year the Portuguese arrived to Madeira. And no matter what they may teach you at school or fantasied tours, they were not just exploring the oceans out of curiosity. They wanted to get rich.
  
  So, soon enough, in the very first years of colonisation, our Infante D. Henrique, the first mastermind behind the Age of Discovery, decided to bring sugar cane from Sicily to Madeira. At the time, sugar was pure, white gold, and highly valued in Europe. In short, a luxury.

  Of course, with time, sugar production in Madeira could not compete with newer colonies, such as São Tomé or Brazil. At a certain point in the 16th century, sugar cane production reduced to such low levels that Madeira had to import sugar from Brazil. That’s when Madeira wine took centre stage.
  
  

  But, through thick and thin, some people kept planting sugar cane. Enough to make sugar cane syrup one of the staples of Madeiran cuisine: there’s the famous bolo de mel and broas de mel, which I recommend you take as a souvenir, bolo preto and bolo família, taro and sweet potatoes served with sugar cane syrup.

  And since every culture in the world also has a fermented drink, guess where Madeira’s local drink came from? Sugar cane. Sugar cane was turned into aguardente de cana in Madeira, into grogue in Cape Verde (where it is used in a local drink called “ponche”), and cachaça in Brazil, where it made its way to world-famous caipirinha.

We roughly translate “aguardente” into “Madeira rum”. The truth is that it’s not precisely like rum, but a close relative. The alcohol content really is similar. The standard content for bottled aguardente de cana or “Madeira rum” is 40%, although some are much higher. As a rule of thumb, beware of home brews.

What is poncha?

It’s a universally accepted truth that sailors drink wherever they go. But drinks also travel with them. That’s how Madeira wine came about. Now, the origins of poncha are not known with 100% certainty. Some historians argue the name may come from pãnch, an Indian drink.

Pãnch is traditionally prepared with a source of alcohol, a source of sweetness, and lemon. (The spices seem to have been lost in translation). By the 16th century, Portuguese sailors already drank a mix of aguardente with citrus fruits on long voyages. However, it may also have been English sailors, stopping by the island, that introduced pãnch in the 18th century.

Either way, in the 19th century poncha was already established with its modern-day Madeiran recipe. Poncha regional consists of aguardente de cana, bee honey, and lemon. The lemon must be macerated with wooden poncha stick called caralhinho.


There is one important variation, however, which is “poncha à pescador”. This variant hails from the fishing village of Câmara de Lobos and it uses sugar and lemon zest instead of bee honey. It’s said to be a remedy that kept fishermen warm all through the nights at sea.

These days, you can also find poncha made with a number of other fruits. Other than lemon, you can easily find passion fruit poncha, which is a local favourite, tangerine, tamarillo, orange, surinam cherry, and other tropical fruits.

What’s the alcohol Content of a poncha?

The only source of alcohol in the poncha is the Madeiran rum. So the alcohol content in a poncha depends on the rum that was used and the amount of rum in the final mix. Bottled poncha, which many locals consider a tourist trap, usually has around 25% alcohol. However, when drinking fresh poncha, it’s always safe to assume poncha is at least 40% alcohol.

Don’t be deceived by the sweet, sweet taste!

Where to drink the best poncha in Madeira

Poncha is served all over the island. The very popular spot among local is Taberna da Poncha at Serra d’Água, which is a stop I actually recommend on my one week itinerary in Madeira. It’s usually served with a side of peanuts.

In Funchal, the best places to go are Pharmacia do Bento (a poncha a day keeps the flu away? Perhaps) or Venda Velha, which has several novelty flavours. Outside of Funchal, you can try it at Mercado do Santo da Serra on weekends, where it’s never too early for a poncha, or at Poncha de S. Vicente, in S. Vicente, where it is served with hearty sides.

Of course, you can also go to Engenhos do Norte in Porto da Cruz, where the aguardente is produced. Having a poncha there is just full-circle.