Poncha and Madeira wine are the most famous drinks, but there is a lot more to try.
We do not want you to become an alcoholic - not least because there will be a lot to soak up your drinks - from the traditional bolo do caco with herb butter to limpets and skewers - but since you are visiting the island, complete the itinerary and taste everything that is typical. In addition to poncha, a dangerous drink that looks like juice but packs a punch, made with Madeiran rum, there are other classic mixes from the island that, at first glance, may wrinkle your nose, but which you should try all the same. We are speaking, for example, of a Nikita or a Pé de cabra (crowbar), but also of the most famous soft drinks, Brisa Maracujá (Passion Fruit) and Laranjada (Orangeade), both hard to find on the mainland.
This can be found in any restaurant, snack-bar, tavern or small shop. Brisa is a Madeiran soft-drink brand that belongs to the Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira (Madeira Beer Company), and is the most popular hangover cure on the island (for the day after a night of poncha). It was created in 1970 and became the world’s most popular purple passion fruit flavour soft drink with no added colouring. It is also available in apple, orange and pineapple flavours.
This orange-flavour drink is the oldest and most traditional Madeiran soft drink produced by the Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira. The first orangeade was consumed in 1872, well before Coca-Cola, and it retains its original flavour to this day. It is very fizzy, effervescent even, and is bright orange in colour. During festivals, it is mixed with wine to make sangria.
A product of the Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira. This lager is brewed from the best Czech malts that are fermented and matured at low temperatures.
A fortified, intense, sweet and fresh wine produced on Madeira and recognised throughout the world (if it has an arch-enemy, it would be Port wine). There are four main versions of Madeira wine, each named after their variety: Malvasia, Boal, Verdelho and Sercial. You can visit the company’s wine cellars in Funchal.
Fun fact: the independence of the United States of America in 1776 was marked with a toast made with Madeira wine. Prices vary depending on year and variety.
This is the only suggestion that does not include ingredients that will test a hangover. Distilled at Engenho do Norte (the distillery is open to visitors) and left to age in oak casks for six years, Rum Agrícola da Madeira 970 (Madeira Agricultural Rum 970) has been the standard on the island since it was first produced in the 1970s. It has a dark amber hue and, at 40%, has an alcohol content that will quickly digest any hearty meal. Available in all good restaurants in the area.
Originally from Câmara de Lobos, this is another drink that tests stomach resistance with its dry wine (or dry Madeira wine), dark beer, sugar, powdered chocolate and lemon peel - all well mixed with a "mexelote", a traditional Madeiran mixing stick used to prepare poncha (on the island you will hear another name, the kind with a red ball).
Named after Elton John’s 1985 hit, the mix is the creation of a bar worker from Câmara de Lobos with no fear of stomach aches: pineapple ice cream, beer, white wine, sugar and honey. It is served in a small beer glass with a straight straw, as if set by an invisible plumb line.
Just like Cristiano Ronaldo and bananas, poncha is an icon of Madeira, made from cane sugar brandy, sugar and lemon or orange juice. Choose between regional or fisherman, with the mixture containing more or less alcohol, or variations made with vodka and other fruits (nowadays poncha is available in many flavours, although the more traditional fruits used are passion fruit and tangerine). Let us tell you where to find poncha.
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