Air Defenders trace their heritage back to the Cannoneers of the War of 1812, the Civil war, and the Spanish-American War. These ancestors of ADA fought their enemies with powder and shot and were truly the First to Fire. In their honor, we charge this punch with powder...

(Insert one cloth bag of pepper or dark kool-aid. Bag should be stenciled "Gunpowder")

... and shot. In this case, a 6 pound shot of an old Army drink: Whiskey.

(Insert one bottle of whiskey, label treated to look old or replaced with one marked "rotgut")

The soldiers at Fort Bliss, which would eventually become the Air Defense Artillery Center, had an interesting time of it when Pancho Villa decided to raid the U.S. border. American soldiers went forth under the command of Blackjack Pershing to smite the revolutionaries. And while we never caught up with Villa, we did capture the next best thing: his tequila!

(Insert one bottle of Tequila, appropriately "aged")

When America entered World War One it needed men who could shoot down enemy planes. Soldiers of the Coast Artillery Corps were chosen. and trained as antiaircraft gunners. They became the first to celebrate whenever they shot down a plane and in their honor we celebrate the same way they would have: with champagne!

(Insert one bottle of champagne)

Men of the Antiaircraft Artillery were called to the colors again for World War Two. AA gunners fought in every theater, from Kasserine Pass in North Africa to New Guinea in Asia to Remagen Bridge in Europe. In their honor we add Burgundy, both for their valor in the Liberation of France and for the blood they bled elsewhere.

(insert one bottle of burgundy)

The Cold War followed, and Americans fought in Korea, in Vietnam, and in many other, less known battlefields in order to prevent the Soviets from dominating the world. At home, Nike-Hercules missiles guarded our skies and protected our loved ones. In memory of these "Cold Warriors," we add dry ice, a byproduct of the early missile fuels ...

(Insert one block of dry ice, stored in an ammo can and marked "danger")

... and vodka, the favorite drink of the pilots of those planes we Air Defenders watched for but never saw.

(insert one bottle of vodka, Russian if possible)

Following the Cold War came a conflict in the Gulf known as Desert Storm, where Air Defenders achieved the impossible: shooting down a missile with another missile. No champaign here, though: to celebrate a Scud Kill we had to toast with Near Beer!

(add one bottle of near beer)

And stir with a grounding rod!