Ponche de Frutas

Ingredients

• 4 quarts water
• 3 cups white sugar, or to taste
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 pound fresh or 1 (16-ounce) jar of tejocotes (hawthorn fruit), drained and halved
• 2 pounds sugarcane (fresh or frozen), cut into 4-inch-long sections and quartered
• 4 apples, cored and cut into small chunks
• 1 pound fresh guava fruit, quartered
• ½ pound prunes
• ½ pound raisins
• ½ pound tamarind pods, peeled and cleaned of debris
• 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
• ½ fresh orange
• 2 cloves
• Dark rum (optional)