Chatham Artillery punch
| Cocktail | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Mixed drink |
| Served | Chilled |
| Standard garnish | Grated nutmeg, cherries |
| Commonly used ingredients | Lemons, sugar, whiskey, brandy, rum, Champagne[1] |
Chatham Artillery punch is a potent punch containing rum, whisky, brandy, and Champagne.[2] It also contains lemons and sugar.[2] Named after the Savannah regiment, it is well-known in the city of Savannah, Georgia,[2] which is located in Chatham County.
History
The original recipe and creator are unknown.[2] One legend has it that George Washington was presented the punch when he arrived at Chatham Artillery in 1792, and he gave the regiment two cannons.[2][3]
A more plausible story was reported in an 1885 article for the Augusta Chronicle.[3] It stated that the punch was created in the 1850s, when the Republican Blues returned from a drill in Macon and were welcomed back by Sergeant A. B. Luce and the Chatham Artillery.[2][3] The punch was said to have been created by adding a quart of brandy, whiskey, and rum along with Champagne, lemon, and sugar to a horse bucket containing crushed ice.[2][3] According to this story, every man who drank it was inebriated.[2]
In 1870, a group of Southern journalists held a convention in Savannah and were served the punch on a riverboat cruise.[2] They became inebriated and reported their encounter with the drink, proposing guesses of the actual content.[2] The punch subsequently received national attention.[2] President Chester Arthur was said to have been bested by the drink.[3]
In 1900, Admiral George Dewey, a war hero from the 1898 Battle of Manila Bay, also became inebriated when he imbibed the punch.[2] One recipe was later named after him.[2]
The drink was later revised to become less potent.[2][4] In a recipe from 1907, it was written: "Experience has taught the rising generation to modify the receipt of their forefathers to conform to the weaker constitutions of their progeny."[4][5]
After the end of Prohibition in the late 1930s, the cocktail grew in popularity again.[3] One of the last variations was published after Prohibition by the New York Sun in 1939.[2] The new recipes were substantially different, and sometimes included liquors like scotch and gin and even excluded Champagne.[3]
Another legend is that during Sherman's March in the Civil War, the residents of Savannah provided Sherman with so much of the punch that he decided to spare the city.[6]
Ingredients
Many punch recipes call for Santa Cruz rum, which became more popular after Prohibition.[7] It is more likely that heavy, dark rum is more similar to one used in the original recipe.[7] Catawba wine is difficult to find in modern times, and is substituted with a white wine or Champagne.[7] In the 1997 film adaptation of the John Berendt novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, the punch is referenced as "three parts fruit, seven parts liquor – whatever's available on both counts".[8]
Preparation
The drink can be prepared by taking lemon peels and muddling them with sugar which will extract oils from the lemon peels.[1][3] This mixture is added to lemon juice and is strained.[3] The lemon-sugar mixture is then added to a large bowl with crushed ice along with brandy, rum, whiskey, and Champagne.[3] Although not likely traditional, candied cherries (and sometimes the juice from the jar) are often added as well.[9] Similarly, gin is sometimes added in modern recipes.[9]
Variations
One variation is called Champagne punch.[9] This is less potent version of the drink, and uses Curaçao or Cointreau, a few shot of bitters, fresh strawberries, lemon, simple syrup, brandy, and Champagne.[9] It is popular at wedding receptions and Christmas parties.[9]
There are similar drinks that exist. One is regent's punch, which is popular along the East Coast of the United States.[9] Another is the Fish house punch, which is found in the Northeast United States.[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b Stern, Steven (29 April 2014). "Original Chatham Artillery Punch Recipe". NYT Cooking. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o McKibben, Beth (8 July 2016). "Chatham Artillery Punch: Maybe the Strongest Drink in American History". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Drink This: Chatham Artillery Punch". Atlanta Magazine. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ a b Miller, Marleigh Riggins (11 April 2011). "Chatham Artillery Punch Recipe". Serious Eats. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-101-44512-9. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Pariseau, Leslie (21 June 2012). "The Great American Bar Crawl: Nine Bartenders Pick Their Favorite Cocktails". GQ. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-60774-867-0. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Eastwood, Clint (director); Hancock, John Lee (screenwriter) (21 November 1997). Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (motion picture). Warner Bros. Pictures.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4236-0224-8. Retrieved 27 February 2021.