Gluten Free Christmas Punch – Ponche de Noel
My love for all things sorrel at Christmas continues with my latest creation for our holiday menu: Ponche de Noel or Gluten Free Christmas Punch. A Caribbean twist on the Mexican Ponche Navideño we used Sorrel as our base, added some Caribbean flavors and topped it off with a little rum to create a Christmas Punch that is super delicious and a new fav.
How to Make Gluten Free Christmas Punch – Ponche de Noel
What I love about this recipe is that it uses simple ingredients and flavors that are naturally gluten free traditional to Christmas in the Caribbean.
Sorrel
Sorrel or Hibiscus juice is a staple in the Caribbean and Trinidad at Christmas. It is used as the based for our Gluten Free Christmas Punch and gives the punch a Christmas flavor and colour.
Every year we make sorrel and sorrel jam, so we have bottles in the cupboard and the fridge. You can use store bought sorrel or our Sugar Free version here.
Orange Juice
When I make mulled wine during winter, orange slices make it shine. So when creating my Christmas punch I added orange juice and some orange slices and it paired so well with the sorrel.
Guava
When making Ponche Navideño guava makes an appearance, and it so happened that I had some frozen guava puree from Farm & Function that added great flavor to our Punch.
Rum
Just like Ponche de Creme our Gluten Free Christmas Punch uses rum to give it a Christmas kick. Our choice for rum is Gold. Gold rum has a depth of flavor that brings out all the other flavors in the punch. You could use a different alcohol such as vodka, tequila or white rum. However it will change the flavor of the Punch.
Bitters
Trinidad and Tobago is the home of bitters and it is a key ingredient in lots of Rum Punch recipes so for our Gluten Free Christmas Punch a dash of bitters in each glass before serving was the final touch!
Gluten Free Christmas Punch
A blend of Christmas and Caribbean flavors, this Christmas Punch is naturally gluten free and a great Christmas treat!
Ingredients
- 2 cups premade Sorrel
- 1 cup guava puree
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 1/2 cups gold rum
- Angostura Bitters
- Orange Slices
- Ice Cubes
Instructions
- In a mug or pitcher, combine the guava puree, sorrel juice, orange juice and rum.
- Mix well to combine, then add about 4-5 orange slices.
- Chill for at least one hour before serving over ice with a dash of bitters.
