Original Chatham Artillery Punch Recipe (2024)

I made it for a few parties and all of my friends love it - even the ones who don't like whiskey! It is very potent though - so be careful of the casualties. It doesn't taste as strong as it is.

The original antebellum Chatham Artillery Punch was as simple as the NYT recipe. Subsequent versions of it have borrowed other ingredients from other punch recipes (like tea from fish house punch) to reduce the alcohol content and make the drink more to modern palates.

While a good basic English-style punch recipe, this is not Chatham Artillery Punch. The original contains several other liquors and liqueurs, as well as orange juice and tea. Here is the original: http://blog.visitsavannah.com/recipes-food-drink/throwback-thursday-chat... I grew up in Savannah, and have made it by that recipe for over 30 years.

I suggest that you peel the lemons first, and then juice them. Have learned the hard way several times how much easier that order is!

Ms. Goolsby, original Chatham Artillery Punch did not have orange juice and tea. Subsequent versions of it have borrowed these ingredients from other punch recipes (like fish house punch) to reduce the alcohol content and make the drink more to modern palates. Also, the link you provided gives the same recipe as the NYT does, just in single serving.

I made a pilot version - ingredient amounts reduced proportionally to produce a single serving size, for taste testing. I found it delightful and not overwhelmed by alcohol. I plan to make it in quantity for a large gathering over the holidays!

This has become a tradition for me to make for our Christmas parties, and every year, the following happens: 1. People are scared to try it after they hear how much booze is in it.2. People try it and our surprised how much they like it.3. People get HAMMERED.Love this punch. Make sure you tell your guests the great origin story of it, too.

I would also love to know where the glassware is from!

You probably did not add enough ice. Ice will melt and help dilute the alcohol. I served this over NYE and was surprised at how drinkable it was, I expected rocket fuel.

Made this in smaller batches. It was solid if not mind blowing.

This was a hit with millennials, baby boomers and those in between. We found the syrup a little labor intensive to make but worth the effort. Used granulated sugar blended on high to make superfine and it dissolved just fine. Lots of ice. Some preferred no nutmeg. Poured small cups and sipped slowly. Great for a special celebration!

The recipe omits one essential ingredient: camellias floating in the bowl.

Definitely peel (or better yet, zest) the lemons BEFORE squeezing them for juice. The lemon-sugar syrup is a little labor intensive but necessary (and worth it).

Is there any reason why I couldn’t make the lemon-sugar mixture a day in advance? Thanks!

I made this punch for a holiday party this past weekend and it was a hit! I had over 70 guests and this punch maybe lasted an hour and a half. I used Four Roses Bourbon, Meyers Dark Jamaican Rum and Hennessy VSOP Cognac. I went with a cheaper California sparkling wine (California champagne) to finish out the recipe along with the lemon zested sugar and lemon juice. This punch will be a staple at our annual Christmas Parties in the future. Thank you!

This is a good strong drink and I loved it at 28 years old. At 44 years old it’s a bit much and filled with excess sugar. Best served on a summer day with food or to the youth

Agreed- people who don’t like whiskey (me) liked this drink (as long as i didn’t tell them what was in it). Need GIANT bowl. We emptied it. Many hangovers abound.

Prepared the recipe as recommended by commenters (with just two cups of bourbon) and it was a big hit. By the time I made the third batch, I had run out of cider, so I substituted with ginger ale and it was decent. Great recipe!

My guests mowed through the pitcher I made, so I had to make a new one on the fly: used lemon juice and sugar, added more of the liquor and champagne, and it was also great… probably because By that time no one noticed any difference… Definitely add the nutmeg!!

I made this for NYE and it was a huge hit. The genius is it packs a "punch" but since the bowl is filled with crushed ice the drink gets more and more diluted as the night goes on. And it is delicious! I thought it seemed like an excessive amount of sugar but the drink was not excessively sweet. I used a very dry sparkling prosecco.

I made this punch for a holiday party this past weekend and it was a hit! I had over 70 guests and this punch maybe lasted an hour and a half. I used Four Roses Bourbon, Meyers Dark Jamaican Rum and Hennessy VSOP Cognac. I went with a cheaper California sparkling wine (California champagne) to finish out the recipe along with the lemon zested sugar and lemon juice. This punch will be a staple at our annual Christmas Parties in the future. Thank you!

I halved the recipe for a party of 25. It was a smashing success and I suspect if I'd made the whole batch it would have been drunk as well but I would have had to make everyone spend the night. I don't like whiskey and I loved this punch.

Is there any reason why I couldn’t make the lemon-sugar mixture a day in advance? Thanks!

This has become a tradition for me to make for our Christmas parties, and every year, the following happens: 1. People are scared to try it after they hear how much booze is in it.2. People try it and our surprised how much they like it.3. People get HAMMERED.Love this punch. Make sure you tell your guests the great origin story of it, too.

Sounds like this punch needs to be fairly diluted. Can anyone lend some guidance for how much ice to add?

For the record, only in an alcoholic's wet dream (pun intended) is this 25 drinks. Assuming 40% abv spirits and 12% champagne, this is 66 standard drinks worth of alcohol at a final strength around 22% ABV.We just don't drink like they used to, do we...

The recipe I saw in Savannah included a gallon and a half of strong tea. Like the other commenter said to cut the alcohol content in a single serving.

Delicious. I recommend cutting with a splash of seltzer. Even with three pounds of ice fully melted in, it was still too strong for some of our guests (and for me). I'd say it makes more like 30-40 servings than 25.

I suggest that you peel the lemons first, and then juice them. Have learned the hard way several times how much easier that order is!

I would also love to know where the glassware is from!