Ponche de Crema Venezolano: My Mum’s Christmas Recipe (Plus a Quick Version)
Ponche de crema venezolano is what my mum makes for Christmas dinner, and it is the reason she gets most of the praise at the table.
It is a Venezuelan Christmas drink, thick and creamy, sweetened with condensed milk and spiked with rum. You pour it cold into small glasses, the way you would a liqueur, and it appears on tables all through the holidays.
This post has two versions. The first is my mum’s, the one with the reputation. It is also the long one. You spend a lot of time at the stove stirring, it needs your full attention, and it repays you for it. The second is a quick version I found for the years when there is no time. I have had it before and it is still really nice, so nobody needs to feel guilty about choosing it.
Ponche de crema contains rum and egg yolks. It is a drink for adults.
Choosing between the two
Pick my mum’s version when you have a quiet stretch of time and can stay at the stove. Pick the quick version when the day is already full. Both give you a bottle of ponche crema to be proud of, and the only real cost of the quick one is a little less of the ceremony.
My mum’s ponche de crema venezolano
This is my mum’s recipe and it is short: two tins of condensed milk, eight egg yolks, water and rum. There are no spices and no thickener in it as she gave it to me, so the yolks do all of the thickening.
The method is gentle. You dissolve the condensed milk with the yolks and the water until it is smooth, then cook it over a low heat until it starts to thicken. The important part is to take it off the heat before it boils. Then you strain it, and only after that do you stir in the rum. Straining catches any small bits of cooked yolk and leaves you with a smooth drink.
Be warned that this is the long recipe. There is a lot of stirring, and it needs your full attention from the moment it goes on the heat until it starts to thicken, so it is not one to start while you are juggling other jobs in the kitchen.
Expect it to thicken further as it chills, and give the bottle a shake before you pour.
Mum’s Ponche de Crema Venezolano
Ingredients
- 2 tins sweetened condensed milk standard-size tins
- 2 2/3 cups water
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups rum I use Diplomático Mantuano
Instructions
- Whisk the condensed milk, egg yolks and water together in a pot until fully dissolved and smooth.
- Cook over low heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture begins to thicken. This step takes a lot of stirring and your full attention.
- Take it off the heat before it boils.
- Strain the mixture.
- Stir in the rum.
- Let it cool, then bottle and keep in the fridge.
Notes
The quick version
This is the shortcut version, from vekalife on Instagram. She calls it an express recipe, and the method backs that up. Make the flan mix exactly as your box instructs, using a litre of milk, then pour it into a bowl and chill it in the fridge until it sets firm.
Once the flan has set, put it in a blender with a tin of condensed milk and blend until smooth. Then add the rum.
Her rum guide is about half a cup for every three cups of ponche, added to taste. If you would rather skip the alcohol, leave the rum out altogether and serve it over ice instead.
Her video shows a Royal flan box, and box sizes and types of flan mix vary between countries, so it is worth checking yours. It may not be in your usual supermarket, so try Spanish or Latin American food shops, or look online.
The shortcut version
Quick Ponche de Crema
For the years there is no time for the stove. Milk, flan mix, condensed milk and rum, blended into something that still tastes like Christmas.
You’ll need
- 🥛 1 litre milk
- 📦 1 box flan mix
- 🥫 1 tin sweetened condensed milk
- 🥃 Golden rum, to taste (about ½ cup for every 3 cups of ponche), optional
How to make it
- 1 Make the flan mix following your box instructions, using the litre of milk, until it thickens.
- 2 Pour it into a bowl and chill in the fridge until it has set firm.
- 3 Once set, put the flan in a blender with the tin of condensed milk and blend until smooth.
- 4 Add the rum to taste, about half a cup for every three cups of ponche, or leave it out for a non-alcoholic version and serve over ice.
- 5 Bottle and keep in the fridge.
Flan box sizes and types vary between countries, so check yours against its own packet instructions for exact timing.
Adapted from @vekalife on Instagram.
Ponche de crema as a homemade Christmas gift
A bottle of ponche de crema is one of the easiest homemade gifts I know. It suits Christmas because anyone who receives it knows exactly what to do with it.
I store mine in swing-top bottles, the kind sold for brewing beer or kombucha. They seal properly and they look good on a shelf. A length of ribbon around the neck and a cinnamon stick tucked under it turns a bottle of homemade drink into a proper present.
Wash the bottles well in hot soapy water, rinse them thoroughly and let them dry before you fill them.
Because ponche de crema is made with egg yolks, it lives in the fridge. Add a small tag with the date you made it and a note to keep it refrigerated and shake it before pouring. Going by my own experience rather than any tested guideline, it keeps for at least a week once the rum is in, though I have never had a bottle stick around long enough to test it further, it gets given away first. A line saying it is for adults is worth adding too. Hand it over cold and let people know it goes straight into the fridge when they get home.
How to serve ponche de crema
Serve it well chilled in small glasses, or over ice in a short glass. A little grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon on top is a nice finish.
Frequently asked questions
What is ponche de crema?
Ponche de crema is a creamy Venezuelan drink made at Christmas, sweetened with condensed milk, thickened with egg yolks and flavoured with rum.
Is ponche de crema the same as eggnog?
They are similar in spirit, both creamy and egg-based. Ponche de crema is made with condensed milk and rum, and the mixture is cooked gently on the stove.
What rum should I use?
I use Diplomático Mantuano, a Venezuelan rum at 40% ABV, and it is my favourite. Its dark golden colour suits the drink, and the quick version calls for golden rum. Whichever bottle you choose, pick one you would be happy to sip on its own, because the rum is a big part of the flavour.
How long does homemade ponche de crema last?
This is based on my own experience rather than a tested food safety guideline, since I have never kept a bottle long enough to find its limit, I always end up giving it away to whoever visits over Christmas. If you leave the rum out, treat it like a fresh dairy dessert and drink it within 2 to 4 days. With the rum in, it keeps for longer, I would say at least a week in the fridge, though mine has never lasted that long to find out for certain. Keep it in the fridge the whole time, and give the bottle a shake before pouring.
Why do you strain it?
Straining catches any small bits of cooked yolk, so the finished drink is smooth.
Is it suitable for children?
No. It contains rum and egg yolks, so it is not for children or anyone who is pregnant.
Recipe credits
The first recipe is my mum’s. The quick version comes from vekalife on Instagram. I have rewritten it here in my own words, but please go and watch the original.
If you make a bottle to give away, tag @caramba.crafts. I would love to see the ribbon.
