This is a deliciously exotic and original punch I helped make with a Mexican family I stayed within the beautiful quaint town of Guanjuato (it´s about a two hour drive north of Mexico City and absolutely worth the trek out there). New mum Nayeli explained to me the finer points of making this traditional punch. Mexican´s many make this for Christmas or Posada which is a time of celebration and many parties are thrown the week before Christmas. Nayeli says that if you smell it in the streets you know that Christmas is just around the corner. But it's a wonderful drink in any season. 

To make roughly 6-8 litres of punch combine in one or two large pots (terracotta Mexican bowls are preferable of course but you´ll achieve the same flavour with the trusty ol European variety):

2 sliced apples
2 oranges segmented
20 whole pitted prunes
6 small quartered guavas
half a pineapple cut into 2cm cubes
an 80cm length of sugar cane cut into 1cm x 20cm strips
a handful of dried Jamaican flower petals (you can find these in specialty health food shops)
4 large peels pods of fresh tamarind
10 fresh halved tejocote (a native Mexican fruit similar to quince, which you can use instead)
A handful of sultanas
2 handfuls of sugar
1 stick of cinnamon
4 litres of water

Head for about 1 hour then taste to see if all the fruit flavours have combines and the sugar has dissolved. Pour into small terracotta cups and add the sugar cane sticks so that they stick out of the cup (a little like you’d pop a stick of celery in a Bloody Mary).

Though pregnant with her second child and the fact that she has a generally displeased taste for alcohol (how very “un-Mexican” she says), Nayeli suggests adding rum for an even more warming effect on those cold winter days (it is the festive season after all!). You can also add pecan for a more nutty flavour.

This is a great alternative to mulled wine though the flavour is very different you will certainly impress your winter party guests.