#19 Cocktail: Artillery Punch

    On Dec.4 at the Feast of Saint Barbara it is traditional to conduct the 'punch ceremony'.  Starting with a bottle of last year's punch, ingredients are added one by one in a theatrical fashion, with humor and imagination creating the list of ingredients.  The battery commander tastes the punch after each ingredient is added, and keeps saying 'it's not quite right, something is missing' until all the ingredients are added and stirred.  once the concoction is satisfactory, all the artillerymen dip their tin cups into the punch and toast one another until there is only enough punch to fill the bottle for next year's ceremony.
   The punch originated with the Chatham Artillery, Savannah, Ga., and has been served in that city for almost 200 years. It is delicious, seductive, powerful.

The Chatham Artillery was organized in 1786.  The earliest mention of their punch, however, was in 1819, when it was considered a worthy refreshment for President James Monroe, who was in Savannah, GA, for the launching of the first steamship to cross the Atlantic.

This is the punch that knocked out Admiral Schley when he visited Savannah in 1899 after the Spanish War.  Admiral Cervera's Spanish shells were harmless to the brave American admiral, but Artillery Punch scored a direct hit which put him out for two days.

1 bottle (750 ml) rye whiskey

1 bottle (750 ml) red wine

25 ounces chilled strong tea

12 ounces dark rum

6 ounces gin

6 ounces brandy

1 ounce Benedictine

12 ounces fresh orange juice

6 ounces fresh lemon juice

6 ounces simple syrup

1 large block of ice

lemon wheels for garnish