Mexican Christmas Drinks Recipes

Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:
4 cups almond milk
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup cacao powder (adjust to taste) plus extra for garnish
1/2 cup maple syrup (adjust to taste)
soy whipped cream

Method:

1. Put the almond milk and cinnamon sticks in a pot, and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, for five to seven minutes to allow the cinnamon flavor to infuse into the liquid.
2. Add the cacao powder to the simmering almond milk and mix. If you have a Mexican molinillo, this is a great chance to use it! Otherwise, use a spoon, fork, or whisk.
3. Stir in the maple syrup. Cover the hot chocolate and let it simmer gently for five to seven more minutes.
4. Ladle the hot chocolate into mugs. Top with soy whipped cream, garnish with a cinnamon stick, and dust with cacao powder. Enjoy! So yummy!

Mexican Fruit Ponche

Ingredients:
4 cups loosely packed dry hibiscus flowers
6 cups water
2 cups tejocotes (see tips)
16-inch piece sugarcane
2 cups guavas
2 cups apples
1 orange
1 piloncillo cone (see tips)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole cloves

Method:

1. Put the hibiscus flowers and water in a pot and cover. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid and discard the flowers.
2. Return the hibiscus liquid to the heat and simmer until it reduces by about a third, leaving around four cups. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. While the hibiscus simmers, prepare the other ingredients. Cut the tejocotes into quarters, removing the seeds. Peel the sugarcane, cut it into 3-4” lengths, and then slice it vertically into strips. Cut the guavas and apples into bite-sized chunks. Cut the orange into thin rounds, leaving the peel on.
4. Put the sugarcane and tejocotes into a pot with one gallon (16 cups) of water. Bring to a boil, then cook for around five minutes.
5. Add the guava and apple chunks, cover, and cook for five more minutes.
6. Put the piloncillo pieces and cinnamon sticks into the pot. Simmer until the piloncillo dissolves.
7. Add the orange and cloves to the pot. Pour in the 4 cups of concentrated hibiscus juice you created earlier. Cover and simmer for five more minutes.
8. Ladle the finished ponche into mugs or glasses. Drink up, and don’t forget to enjoy the fruit chunks in your glass! They’re delicious!

Tips:
If you can’t find tejocotes, substitute crab apples or kumquats!
You can substitute 1 cup of dark brown sugar for the piloncillo cone if necessary.

Don’t forget to check out my video below to see the process of making these drinks, and how gorgeous they look when they’re done! Which one was your favorite? I can’t decide between the yummy richness of the hot chocolate and the bright, vibrant warmth of the ponche!

Love you! ❤️

Yovana