Poncha is Madeira’s traditional alcoholic drink. Most bases of poncha are made of sugarcane, honey and more sugar, then either have orange or lemon juice. Then they add other tropical fruits, or variations. When making it they use a caralhinho (a type of muddler) to mix the drink.

It’s said to be based on the Indian drink, pãnch/panch, meaning ‘five’ in Hindu. Possibly meaning the five ingredients commonly used: alcohol, lemon, sugar, tea and spices. Also, it’s where the English word ‘punch’ comes from.

Mum and Dad love it. They’ve already tried over 10 different variations, mostly from the Santo da Serra Market where they had probably 6 poncha each (not including ginja, cherry liqueur) in under 3 hours. It doesn’t sound a lot, but these poncha were pretty strong (don’t ask me how I know).

In conclusion, poncha is a lovely, mostly sweet drink made with delicious and local ingredients. It really is in the top ten things to try in Madeira, probably taking up multiple slots.