Ponche crema is Venezuela's Christmas in a glass. It was created around 1900 by Eliodoro González, a chemist and perfumer from Guarenas, who worked on the recipe for several years and patented his bottled version in 1904. His exact formula remains a secret, but every Venezuelan family has its own: egg yolks, milk and sugar or condensed milk, lemon peel, vanilla and nutmeg, and a generous measure of rum. Homemade bottles are given as gifts through December and poured for every visitor who rings the bell.

Ours cooks the yolks gently into a pourable custard before the rum goes in, which makes it safe to drink, smoother and longer keeping. Its season is December rather than race season, though a toast to a newly crowned champion as the year closes would suit it very well.

The custard

Ingredients

• 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
• 1 lemon
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 can (14 oz, 397 g) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Spiking and chilling

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (180 ml) aged Venezuelan rum

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