Poncha (Madeiran Honey and Lemon Punch)

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 6 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1¼ dl aguardente
• 4 tbsp water, cold
• 6 ice cube

Method

1. 1.

   Muddle honey with lemon zest — Spoon the honey into a wide jug or a sturdy bowl and add the sugar and lemon zest. Crush and smear them together against the side with the end of a wooden stick or a muddler for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is grainy and smells strongly of lemon oil.

2. 2.

   Spin until the honey dissolves — Add the lemon juice and work the stick between your palms, spinning it fast in the honey, for a full minute — until every trace of honey has dissolved and the liquid has turned cloudy and pale.

3. 3.

   Emulsify with the aguardente — Pour in the aguardente and the cold water and keep spinning the stick for another 1-2 minutes. The drink should emulsify: pale, faintly thick, with a fine foam standing on the surface rather than a clear spirit sitting on top.

4. 4.

   Rest until it thickens — Let the jug stand for 5 minutes so the last of the honey finishes dissolving and the drink thickens slightly. Give it one more spin before pouring.

5. 5.

   Pour over ice — Drop the ice cubes into two short tumblers, pour the poncha over and serve straight away, while it still holds its foam. On Madeira it is drunk in one long swallow, standing at the bar.