Gunpowder Punch!

So, here it is, the (infamous) punch recipe. Please note that it has indeed led on one occasion to actual blows. I take no responsibility for any actions which might result from consumption of this beverage! Also, I'm sure you could make a smaller amount, but why would you want to?

Gunpowder Punch

(what you need)

• 1 - 4oz can gunpowder green tea
• 2 quarts cold water (can substitute 1 quart boiling water if in a hurry)
• juice of 9 oranges (but who really wants to juice those oranges, so use about half of a 1/2 gallon container of low-pulp OJ)
• juice of 9 lemons (same goes for the lemons, use 1 bottle of the Minute Maid lemon juice from the frozen juices section of the grocery store)
• 1 - 1 pound package of light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 - 10oz jars maraschino cherries, drained (but save the juice for another beverage to tide you over while you are waiting for the punch to be ready)
• 3 liters rhine wine (we used 2 bottles of cheap riesling, you want fruity and sweet, not dry)
• 1 quart light rum (for all of the alcohols, the cheaper the better!)
• 1 quart rye whiskey
• 1 quart gin
• 1 - 3/4 liter bottle brandy
• 1/2 cup benedictine (you can skip this, it probably makes it better, but does just fine without!)
• chilled Champagne (about 4 bottles should do for the batch)

(what to do)

• Combine tea and water, let stand overnight; or if you left making the punch 'til late like we did, just use 1/2 the water but make it boiling and let the tea steep for 20 minutes or so.
• Strain tea into large container: a 3-4 gallon container should do it (a spare bathtub, or large and seamless wine cooler tubs work especially well)
• Pour and stir in all remaining ingredients except Champagne and cover lightly. Let stand 2-6 weeks, but at least overnight. The longer it stands, the better it gets.
• Once it has had time to "meld", you can decant it into gallon bottles for storage in the refrigerator. At this point you could strain out the cherries and juice pulp, but why bother when there shouldn't be much pulp if you used low-pulp OJ, and the cherries are so yummy!
• To serve: dilute each gallon of punch with 1 quart Champagne (or to taste) and serve over ice. Another idea is to freeze some of the punch into cubes, or if you are using a punch bowl, a frozen ring of the punch stock works well to chill without diluting the mixture.

Enjoy! And don't say I didn't warn you that this stuff is powerful and goes down easy.