A rich, luscious ponche crema recipe (Dominican rum eggnog) with all the taste of our rum, and the spirit of Christmas.
Why we ❤️ it
With a thick, smooth texture, chilled, and the warm taste of rum, our ponche navideño recipe is like a dessert that you can drink, and one of the most popular traditional Dominican beverages.
What is ponche?
Ponche crema, or ponche de ron (rum eggnog) is a rich, creamy drink, made with milk, egg yolks, and spices. This spiced, chilled eggnog must not be absent from your own Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) dinner table.
Ponche in Spanish is the word for both eggnog and punch (like fruit punch), so be mindful of that to avoid confusion. This type of eggnog is not only popular in the Dominican Republic, but all over the rest of the Spanish Caribbean, and Mexico.
More ponche recipes
Ponche de ron (rum eggnog) is the classic drink of the Dominican Christmas dinner. It's just not the same without it, and there are many versions, like the popular ones I share below, and even one with prunes.
We suggest you prepare some extra and give it to friends and family. Just use your crafty superpowers for some fancy presentation and it will make the perfect present. They'll loooove it.
If you want to try other variations of this classic Dominican drink, check these other recipes.
- Ponche de chocolate (chocolate eggnog)
- Pumpkin vegan eggnog
- Ponche de desayuno (breakfast eggnog coffee)
- Ponche de café (coffee eggnog)
About this recipe
The amount of rum you use is really a suggestion. My recipe calls for the minimum amount, but you can add more if you so like. I have also suggested a recipe that yields eggnog that is not sickly sweet, so if you want yours sweeter you can add more condensed milk.
Make these additions after you have chilled and tried the eggnog.
This recipe yields about 20 servings, about 3 liters in total.
Salud!
Recipe
[Recipe + Video] Ponche Crema (Christmas Eggnog)
Ingredients
- 5 cup condensed milk
- 10 cup evaporated milk
- 8 egg yolk
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (freshly-grated)
- ¾ cup white rum
Instructions
Combining: Mix the condensed and evaporated milk and the egg yolks. Stir until the mixture is well combined.Sieve, then discard solids. Add cinnamon sticks and nutmeg.
Cooking: Boil in a large pot in a bain-marie (hot water bath) over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, lower heat and simmer for 20 more minutes. Stir often to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
Cooling: Add the rum and remove it from the heat. Stir constantly but slowly until it cools down to room temperature.Remove the cinnamon sticks.
Serving: Chill, then ladle into a bottle for storage, or to serve immediately.
Video
Tips and Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutritional information.
Published January 2, 2011
