Chatham Artillery Punch
A powerful Southern punch of lemon sweetness, rum, rye and Madeira, topped with sparkling wine.
Ingredients
- Spiced rum500 ml
- Rye whiskey500 ml
- Madeira, sweet Madeira500 ml
- Sparkling wine, dry, preferably Champagne or Prosecco750 ml
- Lemon, peeled and juiced for oleo saccharum4 whole
- Sugar200 g
- Tea, green tea, room temperature1900 ml
- Lemon, for garnish (optional)1 wheel
Method
- Peel the lemons carefully, taking only the yellow zest and avoiding the bitter white pith.
- Muddle the peels with the sugar in a bowl and leave for at least an hour, preferably overnight, so the oils infuse the sugar.
- Juice the peeled lemons and stir the juice into the sugar and peel until the sugar fully dissolves.
- Strain out the peels: you now have oleo saccharum; use it in the punch.
- Combine the green tea, spiced rum, rye whiskey, Madeira and oleo saccharum in a large container.
- Stir well, then chill and rest the base in the fridge for 24–48 hours.
- Add the sparkling wine immediately before serving.
- Pour the punch over large ice cubes or an ice ring in a punch bowl and garnish with lemon slices.
About this drink
Chatham Artillery Punch comes from late-18th-century Savannah, Georgia, and legend has it that it was strong enough to make George Washington lose track of time. Its secret is oleo saccharum: lemon-peel oil pressed into sugar, giving the punch a depth that lemon juice alone cannot match. Tradition calls for the spirit base to rest for a day or two, allowing the flavours to meld before the bubbles are added just before serving.
