Recipe of the week: Original Chatham Artillery Punch
This 19th-century punch is simple, “highly potent,” and goes down easy.
There may come a point during this season of booze-filled gatherings when “you are the one doing the pouring,” said Steven Stern in The New York Times. It could be at an office holiday party or during the New Year’s countdown. So we set out to find potions “designed to impress and to comfort.” This 19th-century punch unearthed by the “cocktail scholar” David Wondrich is simple, “highly potent,” and goes down easy. “The someone who serves it will earn a year’s worth of gratitude.”
Original Chatham Artillery Punch
8 lemons
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1 lb superfine sugar
750 ml bottle bourbon or rye
750 ml bottle cognac
750 ml bottle dark Jamaican rum
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3 bottles Champagne or other sparkling wine
nutmeg
Squeeze and strain lemons to make 16 ounces of juice. Peel lemons and muddle peels with sugar. Let peels and sugar sit for an hour, then muddle again. Add lemon juice and stir until sugar has dissolved. Strain out peels.
Fill 2- to 3-gallon bucket or bowl with crushed ice or ice cubes. Add lemon-sugar mixture and bourbon, cognac, and rum. Stir and add Champagne. Taste and adjust for sweetness. Grate nutmeg over top and serve.
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