Sipping Chatham Artillery Punch
Here's a guest post from Garden Variety blogger Susan Reimer:
My friend and colleague Sam Sessa, the genius behind this blog, was kind enough to write a guest post for me on Garden Variety during my vacation. Imagine Sam writing about petunias, and you will understand his sacrifice.
In return, I am offering Sam this post, garnered from my recent vacation in the South.
My husband and I made a day trip to Savannah, Ga., -- think Midnight in the Garden of Paula Deen and Kevin Spacey -- and visited a wonderful restaurant on the river called, well, The River House.
Among the libations served was something called Chatham Artillery Punch, which was served to the troops during a visit by George Washington during the Revolutionary War. ...
No one is certain how the heady punch originated, but Chatham Artillery members believe that the gentle ladies of Georgia made the first beverage. Then, one by one, officers of the Artillery sneaked in and added this and that, creating Savannah's most famous drink for two centuries.
Here's the recipe. Invite LOTS of friends because it makes 100 6-ounce servings, before the addition of the case of champagne.
1 1/2 gallons catawba wine
1/2 gallon run
1 quart gin
1 quart brandy
1/2 pint Benedictine
2 quarts Maraschino cherries
1 1/2 quarts rye whiskey
1 1/2 gallons strong tea
2 1/2 pounds brown sugar
1 1/2 quarts orange juice
1 1/2 quarts lemon juice
Mix 36 to 48 hours before serving. Add one case of champagne when ready to serve.
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
Recipe for an industrial size/strength cocktail...mmmmmmm
Posted by: Dave the wave | July 29, 2009 4:01 PM
my old roommate has some good stories about this stuff.
Posted by: Allan | July 30, 2009 9:05 AM
Sam should make this for the next MS get together...
Posted by: flippityjane | July 30, 2009 3:36 PM
I've heard that some folks age this stuff for up to year before drinking ....
Not that I want to mess with your recipe,other recipes I've seen (older ones?) call for either cherries or brandied cherries, maraschino cherries are just little sugar bombs.
Posted by: AlchemistGeorge | July 30, 2009 11:01 PM