In the 1850s, a military regiment called the Republican Blues returned from training in Macon and were welcomed back by Sergeant A.B. Luce and the Chatham Artillery, one of the oldest military units in American history. Luce used horse buckets to mix up a punch of “delirious deliciousness” that defeated every soldier present that night.

During a convention of Southern journalists in 1870, Chatham Artillery Punch once again proved victorious and word spread all over the country of Savannah’s “mortal enemy of despair.” In 1900, Spanish-American War hero, George Dewey, was no match for the version of the punch he was served. Instead of bringing shame upon such a decorated military man, the cause of his resulting illness was reported as indigestion from the acidity of the drink reacting with a bad salad.

For well over a century since Luce’s mixture, variations on the recipe have continued. The version printed in the New York Sun in 1939 listed Catawba wine, rum, brandy, Benedictine, gin, rye, and a whole bunch of sugar as the ingredients. To this day, Savannahians throw whatever liquor, wines, teas, and juices into a bowl for occasions like St. Patrick’s Day and dub their concoction with the honored name of Chatham Artillery Punch.

It’s a cocktail central to Savannah’s cultural identity. Don’t leave the Hostess City behind without seeing how you match up to its military might.