Books and Booze: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampire’s and the Chatham Artillery Punch

I fully expected this book to be a fun and light-hearted, maybe sightly cheesy, vampire story, I blame Charlene Harris for making this a thing. Shockingly, it turns out The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampire’s Grady Hendrix is something else entirely. This book was a whole roller-coaster of emotions for me, I actually had to put it down and walk away at one point because I was so furious. What initially sounded like a bit of fluff actually ends up being a scathing indictment of misogyny and white privilege, which I did not see coming. I loved how surprised I was by this book, and I highly recommend reading it.

Last week I asked for suggestions as I was struggling to find a classic cocktail to go with this book, and I’m so glad I did. I had never heard of Chatham Artillery Punch before, but as soon as I read the description in a  coldglass.com article calling it “An iron fist in a velvet glove”, I knew that it was the perfect choice for a book about a bunch of Southern ladies slaying vampires. According to the same article this punch was created in Savanah in the 1850’s for a banquet being thrown by the Chatham Artillery Regiment. The original recipe is measured by the bottle, and is absolutely terrifying. With a little math you can make this as a single serving and it’s way tastier than it has any right to be. One word of warning, this punch will hit you like a freight train so drink with caution.

Next weeks read is The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie. I would love any of your book recommendations for the upcoming weeks. Scroll down to make your own Chatham Artillery Punch.

Chatham Artillery Punch (original recipe in brackets)

1/2 - 2/3 oz. Lemon juice (12 lemons)
1 oz. Demerara syrup (2 cups raw sugar)
1 oz. Bourbon or Rye (1 750m bottle)
1 oz. Cognac (1 750m bottle)
1 oz. Dark Jamaican Rum (1 750m bottle)
2-3 oz. Champagne (3 750m bottles)

Mix everything,  except the champagne, in a shaker with ice (or a punchbowl). Pour contents of  shaker including the ice into a glass, I recommend using a tea cup. Top with champagne and garnish with a lemon slice.

Cheers!