Marcia Miranda wants to be the queen of ponche de crème

MARCIA MIRANDA is often referred to as the parang soca queen, but now she also wants to be known as the queen of ponche de crème.

Miranda, like many artistes, when the covid19 pandemic hit, found new creative outlets and ways to generate additional income. Hers was making ponche de crème.

Her brand is called Marcia Miranda De Parang Soca Queen Punch de Crème Liqueur. She has three flavours: caramel espresso, sorrel rose and original.

Like most Trinis, Miranda has been making ponche de crème all her life, having seen her parents and grandparents making it.

Over the years, she would make the seasonal Christmas drink for friends and family. But when the pandemic hit, she felt  TT was going to be in lockdown for a long time and was uncertain what would happen to the entertainment industry.

“So I knew I had to do something for two reasons: to bring in an income and to stay busy. I would have gone crazy if I had just sat there and did nothing. So that idea came to me and I thought I will venture in to it.”

By July, Miranda began testing flavours and coming up with recipes she liked.

For her, ponche de crème is a “love drink” that Trinidadians share with each other.

She wanted to try different flavours and so came up with the caramel espresso and the sorrel rose. The sorrel rose is currently sold out.

She says if she has the time she will make another batch, but it is very demanding and with gigs happening again, might be difficult .

Her friends tried to persuade her to do a pumpkin flavour, as it was becoming very popular, but she was not convinced.

While she said the sorrel was difficult to create, it was something she wanted to do.

“I had to do my sorrels very quickly, because the shelf life is very short. You have to consume that very quickly, because sorrel is very acidic and you’re mixing acid with milk.”

Miranda is also trying to stay away from preservatives and keep her products as natural as possible. It took her a while to make the sorrel and a lot of wasted products before she could find a way to get it to last and not curdle.

She said that is the reason she is not doing any more until about Christmas week, if she has to do so.

Her friends were her tasters, as well as those who are currently helping her produce the drink.

She has been selling her products at local  craft markets, farmer’s markets and through orders. She began selling it at Namdevco’s Farmers’ Market at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Saturdays about a month ago.

“I may have started a little too early, but I wanted my presence felt, because it was the first time I was doing this. I wanted people to see me in that realm of doing ponche de crème. And I thought it was a good idea that the soca parang queen should pick up the queen of Christmas drinks, which is ponche de crème. I thought it was a nice union to marry both and label myself as the ponche de crème queen as well.”

Although that is not a label she is immediately giving herself, she does plan to grab the title going forward. She has great plans for the brand and the drink next year and beyond.

Next year, Miranda plans to partner with a mixologist and a chemist to come up with some “really good recipes.”

She is also promising next year is going to be a whole lot different. In the following years, Miranda hopes to be in groceries across TT as well as to grow her brand into a household name.

“This year it has just been a testing ground. And it has been pretty good and I have been getting a lot of support,” she added.

It has been a lot of hard work getting out in the market and delivering, she said. Buying ponche de crème at the market has been a new experience for people.

“People going in the market with $300 to buy their vegetables and stuff and their $300 in their pocket and that’s that. So you’re lucky if you get somebody who have a little extra money to spend on ponche de crème and who is impressed by it.”

She was lucky to get a few sales in the market, she added.

Most of her sales have been coming from orders generated from her social, electronic and print advertising. She is now excited by the possibility of her ponche de crème line.

The pandemic also showed, Miranda said, it was important to get involved in other businesses and have alternative revenue streams, as anything could happen. This was not only applicable to the entertainment industry.

She has so been enjoying the entrepreneurial experience that she is thinking of doing more.

“When I was diagnosed with cancer, I started doing healthy juices and that actually is what I wanted to do,” she said.

But she felt it was so close to Christmas that people would not want to see healthy juices on their tables but rather things like ponche de crème.

She is also planning a line of juices, also without preservatives, for next year.

“In the meantime, I hope people will enjoy my flavours,” she said.

People can find Miranda and her ponche de crème at UpMarket on December 5 at Lions’ Cultural Centre, Fitzblackman Drive, Port of Spain.