Civil War Recipes: Chatham Artillery Punch

The Chatham Artillery is the oldest and most prestigious military unit in Georgia's history. Formed in 1785, the unit eventually became the 1st Battalion of the 118th Field Artillery Regiment, a unit of the National Guard. The origins of the punch that bears its name, however, are more murky.

The most persistent story is that prior to the Civil War, the unit's wives would throw fabulous parties for the unit's officers. They would make their famous punch of fruit juice and tea for the bash. Over the course of every party, each officer would secretly upend their flask with their favorite tipple into the punch. No one ever knew the variety or volume of alcohol that would end up in the punch, but it was enough to knock even the most seasoned drinking soldiers on their uniformed derriere.

During the Civil War, actual recipes were developed for Chatham Artillery Punch that included several types of alcohol and lots of fruit juice and fizzy champagne. The recipes almost always measure ingredients by the gallon (you are, after all, serving over a hundred party-goers at a time). In movies, Chatham Artillery Punch was served up at Joe Odom's party in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. When asked what was in it, he stated the basic recipe: "seven parts liquor, three parts juice, whatever you have on hand on both counts".

Most recipes require a "fermentation" period of about two months, which is actually a misnomer as something with that high of an alcohol concentration would prohibit further fermentation by wild yeast. It is more of a mellowing and marinating process.

Chatham Artillery Punch

2 gallons of black or green tea (steeped overnight)
Juice of 30 lemons
5 pound bag of brown sugar
2 gallons of dark rum
1 gallon of good brandy
1 gallon gin
1 gallon rye (or Canadian) whiskey
2 gallons Madeira wine
2 quarts crushed fresh cherries, soaked overnight in brandy
2 quarts pineapple chunks, frozen
10 quarts of champagne

Mix all of the ingredients except the pineapple and champagne and store, covered, in glass containers for up to two months. The longer the mellowing period, the smoother the punch will be. When ready to serve, pour the punch into a large punch bowl and add frozen pineapple chunks. Pour champagne over top. Serve with ladle into tall wine glasses.