A traditional holiday drink gets a honey makeover by rising star mixologist
Deysi Alvarez, with new favorites for the whole family!

December is here, a time of festivities and making plans for the new year ahead. From Las Posadas to Christmas and New Year's Eve, family traditions form an integral part in these celebrations. Among these is enjoying the aromatic, nostalgic flavor of the holiday
drink Latinos have grown up with, ponches.

The National Honey Board and expert mixologist Deysi Alvarez invite you and your
family to try their original honey-infused ponche recipes inspired by the
traditional Latin American drink, all with the unique taste of honey.

Every recipe has its own distinct flavor, and whether you prefer your ponche hot
or cold, you're sure to find the perfect fit for your holiday parties. From a Honey and Grapefruit Ponche to a Spiced Honey Ponche, these original blends will leave your family and friends impressed.

Sharing a drink never came so sweet!

Best,

Ana

“Honey-Infused Ponches for Las Posadas”
Recipes by mixologist Deysi Alvarez

HONEY-INFUSED HOT PONCHE
Serves 4

Ingredients: 3 tbsp honey 4 cinnamons sticks, broken in halves 4 cups water 1 pineapple 1 red apple 1 mango 1 peach, fresh or canned 1 apricot, fresh or canned 1 nectarine, fresh or canned 1 plantain (platano macho) 1 small bag of dried cranberries 1 small bag of prunes ½ cup cognac ½ cup rum Lime peel, for garnish

Preparation:
In a medium-large pot add the water, honey and cinnamom sticks. Bring to a boil.
Wash all fruit and cut into small cubes (¼- ½ inch). Add cubed fruit into pot and let cook for 30-45 minutes on medium-low heat. Add the dried cranberries and prunes, and the plantain (cut in vertical slices). Once the fruit has cooked and is good to taste, turn off heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Add the cognac and rum before serving.

SPICED HONEY PONCHE
Serves 4

Ingredients: 5 tbsp honey 2 lemons 1 piece ginger root, small ½ cup white rum ½ cup dark rum ½ cup velvet falernum (ingredients and instructions below) ½ cup soda water Orange peel, for garnish * For the velvet falernum: 8 almonds 1 piece ginger root, small 2 limes 3-4 drops vanilla 1 pinch cinnamon

Preparation:
Juice lemons with a lemon squeezer or in a juicer. Peel the ginger root, chop into small pieces, add the lemon juice and place into a juicer (if you do not have a lemon squeezer or juicer, slice the lemons in half and squeeze the juice out into a bowl. Add the ginger pieces and press down firmly with a spoon). Strain and pour into a separate mixing bowl (you can reduce the spiciness by adding 1 part water and 1 tsp honey until you reach the desired spiciness). Add remaining ingredients and velvet falernum. Stir. Add ice and serve.
* For the velvet falernum:
Crush the almonds. Juice ginger with lime juice (follow same procees as above). Add drops of vanilla extract and cinnamon. Once all of the ingredients are ready, pour mix into a blender on low to high speed. Strain. Store in the refrigerator.

HONEY AND GRAPEFRUIT PONCHE
Serves 4

Ingredients: 3 tbsp honey 1 cup infused chamomile-rum (ingredients and instructions below) 1 ½ lemons 1 grapefruit 1 bottle club soda, 16 oz Cinnamon stick and/or star anise, for garnish * For the infused chamomile-rum 1 cup rum 2 tbsp chamomile tea

Preparation:
* For the infused chamomile-rum
In a glass, mix the rum with the chamomile tea. Let sit for 30-45 minutes.

Once the infusion is ready, strain and add liquid into mixing bowl. In a juicer, juice lemons and grapefruit, and add into bowl with infusion (if you do not have a juicer, slice the lemons and grapefruit in half and squeeze the juice out into the bowl). Add the honey and stir until combined. Serve and add ½ cup of club soda to each glass. Garnish as desired.

 

HONEY PARTY PONCHE

Serves 4

Ingredients: 5 tbsp honey 2 guavas 10 raspberries 3 green apples 1 ruby grapefruit 1 ½ oz of any blanco spirit or liquor Lemon slices, for garnish

Preparation:

Juice grapefruit in a juicer or by slicing in half and squeezing the juice out into a bowl. Cut guavas into four parts and blend with grapefruit juice and strain into a mixing bowl. Remove the core and seeds from the apples and cut into quarters. Juice and strain into a separate bowl. Add honey and blend until mixed. Combine all ingredients in a punch bowl, adding raspberries and spirit at the end. Serve chilled.

HONEY SALVADORIAN PONCHE
Serves 4

Ingredients:

5 tbsp honey (for the honey clove chamomile tea infusion) 1 pineapple 1 red or green apple 1 mango 4 grapefruits 2 mameyes (can be found at Latin markets) 3 marañónes, frozen (can be found at Latin markets) 2 tsp pineapple tincture (can be found at health food store) 3 cups cold water 2 ¼ cups of infused tea (ingredients and instructions below) 1 ½ cups tequila blanco or reposado Pineapple chunks, for garnish * For the honey clove chamomile tea infusion: 5 tbsp honey 10 cloves 1 cup chamomile tea 1 ½ cups water

Preparation:

Cut pineapple in half, careful not to damage the shell. Spoon out the pineapple and keep pineapple shell for a short pineapple-tequila infusion. Place shell into a container (in case wounded) and add tequila into the shell. Let sit for 30 minutes. Chop all fruit into small cubes and add into a punch bowl along with tea infusion. Add the cold water and the pineapple-tequila infusion. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Serve over ice.

* For the honey clove chamomile tea infusion
Add the cloves into a pot and roast on low to medium heat for 4-7 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add chamomile tea and honey. Mix well and strain tea with a cloth (preferable) into a bowl. Let sit until cool and refrigerate. You should now have 2 ¼ cups of infused tea.

©Deysi Alvarez

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Tropical Honey Coconut Water Cooler pitch

by Angelica Wolfenson

A pure and versatile ingredient, honey can be the perfect complement to just about any summer recipe. For additional honey recipes, visit www.honey.com.

TROPICAL HONEY COCONUT WATER COOLER

Prep time: 5 minutes

1 cup coconut water

1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks

1/2 cup banana chunks (1 small banana)

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Toasted coconut

Optional: 3 tablespoons rum or tequila

In blender, combine all ingredients except toasted coconut. Blend on high speed until frothy; pour into 16-ounce glass and sprinkle coconut on top. Serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving

Nutrition Information Per Serving (without alchohol): 287 calories; 1 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 51 mg sodium; 865 mg potassium; 74 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 2 g protein

“Honey Energy Boosters”

Recipes by Bárbara Trujillo Gómez

Treat your senses to the Latin flavors that are partnered with salsa dancing and rhythmic music. It’s easy to create your own Latin taste sensation by pairing typical staples, such as succulent roast pork and chicken with the flavors of cumin, thyme and red pepper. Sweet ingredients, like cinnamon, vanilla and tropical coconut offset the stronger flavors. Seafood is also prevalent in Latin cuisine. Try Coconut Shrimp "Criollo," which combines shrimp, ripe plantains and a sauce of coconut milk spiced with thyme, cumin and red pepper. This is the perfect pairing of warm spices with sweet overtones.

Check out cookbook, brimming with mouthwatering dishes like Sofrito-style Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Plantain Salsa, and Chili-Cumin Grilled Chicken.

Dessert; Guava Cheese Flan will end your meal in style. Guava, a sweet and fragrant fruit, and cheeses are popular Latin dessert ingredients.


Picadillo (CUBA)

4 servings

1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound ground extra lean beef
¼ cup sherry (optional)
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
pinch ground red pepper
¼ cup raisins
1 cup diced fresh or canned pineapple
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
¼ cup chopped red bell pepper

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, onion, garlic until the onion is tender and the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear. Drain off all fat. Add all remaining ingredients except the green and red bell peppers. Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Add green and red bell peppers and heat through.

Serve with rice and bread.

Mango Delight (COLOMBIA)

15 servings1 cup orange juice
3 packets unflavored gelatin
5 medium, very ripe mangoes
1 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated skim milk
2 cups light whipped topping

1. Put the orange juice into a small heat-proof bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Set aside for 5 minutes.

2. Peel mangoes, cut fruit from pits and puree in blender or food processor. You should have 4 cups of puree. Transfer puree to a large mixing bowl and stir in the sugar and evaporated milk.

3. Warm the juice and gelatin over a bowl of hot water until liquid and smooth. Whisk the gelatin into the mango mixture.

4. Stir in the whipped topping.

5. Fill a 10 cup mold with cold water and pour all the water out. Fill the mold with the mango mixture, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 2 to 3 hours.

6. To serve, wrap a warm, damp towel around the mold. Invert a serving plate over the mod and, holding plate and mold together, turn plate upright. Lift the mold away carefully. Garnish with fresh fruit if desired. Serve cold.

Plantain Cereal (PANAMA)

4 servings

2 large, green plantains
3 cups water
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
skim milk

1. Peel the plantains and grate very coarsely with a hand grater or in a food processor.

2. In a medium saucepan, stir together the water, salt and sugar and bring to a boil. Stir in the grated plantain and any juice. Reduce heat and cook at a simmer until it is almost smooth, about 10 minutes, stirrring occasionally. To serve, divide among 4 bowls and pass skim milk separately.

Serve with orange juice and skim milk.

Rice with Pigeon Peas (PUERTO RICO)

8 servings

1 pound fresh pigeon peas
8 cups water
very small amount of salt (optional)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 ounces Canadian bacon, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cubanel pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
2¼ cups long-grain white rice
6 stuffed green olives, diced
1 teaspoon capers
6 sprigs coliander, chopped
¼ cup tomato sauce


1. Rinse and drain the pigeon peas. In a large saucepan, combine the peas and water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the salt (optional) and cook for 15 more minutes. Drain, reserving 3 cups of the liquid, and set aside until needed.

2. In a large, non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the vegetable oil. Add the Canadian bacon, onion, cubanel pepper, bell pepper, and tomato. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.

3. Stir rice into the bacon and vegetables. Stir in the green olives, capers, coliander, tomato sauce, and drained pigeon peas. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Stir in the 3 cups of reserved liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook until almost all the water has evaporated. Reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan, and cook for 15 minutes. With a large wooden spoon, turn the rice and peas very carefully. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes. Serve hot.

Note: You may substitute two 16-ounce cans of pigeon peas for the 1 pound fresh peas. Drain the canned peas and add enough water to their liquid to make 3 cups. Stir the canned peas into the rice for the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Potatoes a la Huancaína (PERU)

6 servings2 pounds white potatoes, washed
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ medium onion, sliced
½ tablespoon yellow chili
1 cup nonfat cottage cheese
2 ounces grated cheese
½ cup skim milk
1 head romaine lettuce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
6 black olives

1. In a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender when pierced with a skewer. Drain and cool. Peel and slice into ½-inch rounds.

2. Prepare the sauce. In a medium non-stick skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and chili and cook until the onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Put the onion in a blender or food processor and addl the cottage cheese, grated cheese, and skim milk. Puree until smooth.

3. To serve, arrange some lettuce leaves on each of 6 salad plates. Arrange some potato slices on top of the lettuce and spoon sauce over them. Sprinkle with chopped parsley; decorate each with an olive and serve.

Serve with grilled fish.

Arepas (VENEZUELA)

10 servings

2 cups corn flour for arepas
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup grated white cheese
2 cups cool water (or more if needed)

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and white cheese. Stir in enough water to make a firm, slightly moist dough. Cover the dough and let it rest for 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 10 pieces and form each piece into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Oil a griddle very lightly and warm it over medium heat. Cook the arepas on the griddle for about 5 minutes on each side, until a golden brown crust forms. Transfer the arepas to a baking sheet and bake 20 to 25 minutes, turning them several times as they bake. Serve immediately.

Serve with black beans.

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