A classic of Dominican children's birthdays, this Ponche de Frutas recipe (Fruit Punch) is a reinvented version, as well as an option to serve to grownups.
This post is sponsored by Lil Shuga®
Why we ❤️ it
There cannot be a Dominican child's birthday party without Ponche de Frutas (Fruit Punch). In an introduction to Dominican party food for our book, Jill Wyatt wrote:
"Just as a child's birthday cannot be appropriately celebrated without a sugary fruit punch in which banana slices are set adrift, it appeared that mourners could not properly grieve, nor could merrymakers effectively make themselves so, without some alimentary offering".
Jill has a talent for capturing the small but important details.
I must have drunk several gallons of ponche de fruta (fruit punch) during my childhood. And the first thing I and everyone else who did will remember is that mine doesn't look much like that drink of bygone days. For starters fruit punch was always red (ish?). That is because the over-sweetened base that was used came from a plastic container and laced with artificial red coloring.
This fresh fruit punch recipe is made of delicious, natural juice.
About this recipe
As a former child myself, and mother of a 7-year old, I can attest that kids love this children's fruit punch. Mostly they love diving in for the fruit at the bottom of the cup. But if you are also inviting grown-ups to the party (not an unusual thing here, where sometimes there are more grown-ups in a child's birthday than there are children) I am also sharing a little secret to "spike the punch" for them.
And grown-ups will appreciate that for their version I have used one of the products I have loved the most working with: Lil' Shuga (a lighter sugar substitute). A way to add just the right touch of sweet without adding too many calories. Like Hey Shuga!, Lil' Shuga is made of pure cane juice, but Lil' Shuga also contains Stevia.
The greatest thing about this drink is how flexible it is, you can add or take out any fruits of your choice. Just get creative!
Recipe
Ponche de Frutas Recipe (Fruit Punch)
Ingredients
- 2 qrt [2 lt] of fresh passionfruit juice
Pick four (or more) of these fruits:
- 4 bananas, , sliced
- 1 apple, , cubed
- 1 cup of cherries, , pitted and halved
- 1 cup pineapple, , cubed
- 1 cup of mango, , cubed
- 1 cup of pear, , cubed
For the children's version
- 1 cup of Hey Shuga!, Brown sugar or sweetener of your choice
For the grownup version
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 cup white rum
- ½ cup of Lil Shuga, Brown sugar or sweetener of your choice
Instructions
The children's version
- Mix passionfruit and fruits. Add Hey Shuga! to taste. Chill before serving.
The grownup version.
- Mix the rum, lime juice and fruits (not the bananas, as they will blacken).
- Let it rest for two hours in the fridge.
- Remove the fruit from the rum mix. Spread on a baking tray and freeze.
- Mix the rum and lime mix with the passion fruit juice and chill. Add Lil' Shuga to taste.
- Add the frozen fruits right before serving.
Tips and Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutritional information.
This post was sponsored by Lil Shuga!. I was provided with products and compensation to create this recipe, but the opinions are 100% mine. Thanks for supporting the brands that support our blog.
