Poncha is a signature dish of Portugal; we have verified places to eat it in Funchal. Aguardente de cana, sugarcane spirit distilled on the island, stirred with bee honey and citrus juice using a grooved wooden stick called a caralhinho. Start with where to eat Poncha in Funchal.
Poncha · Funchal
Aguardente de cana, sugarcane spirit distilled on the island, stirred with bee honey and citrus juice using a grooved wooden stick called a caralhinho. Sharp, sweet and considerably stronger than it tastes.
Poncha started as a fisherman's drink on Madeira's south coast, made from the cane spirit that was a by-product of the sugar industry and drunk against cold and damp. The traditional version is lemon, honey and aguardente in fixed proportions, stirred rather than shaken with the caralhinho, a stick turned specifically for the job. Passion fruit and tangerine versions came with tourism and are now poured alongside the original in the Zona Velha and in the poncha bars of Câmara de Lobos, which remain the reference point.
Where to eat in Funchal:
- Barreirinha Bar Café
Where to eat Poncha in Funchal: the editor picks