Gunfire (or gun-fire) is a British

caffeinated alcoholic drink A caffeinated alcoholic drink is a drink that contains both alcohol (also known formally as ethanol) and a significant amount of caffeine. Caffeine, a stimulant, masks some of the depressant effects of alcohol. However, in 2010 and 2011, this ty ...

, a

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely acr ...

made of

black tea Black tea, also translated to red tea in various East Asian languages, is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from ...

and

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...

. It has its origins in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

and is also used as a name for early morning tea in the army.

History

British Army

It is unknown when gunfire was concocted, but it is known that it was mixed by British Army soldiers during the 1890s. Gunfire is served by

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fr ...

and

non-commissioned officers A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

to lower ranks before a morning attack (as a form of

Dutch courage Dutch courage, also known as pot-valiance or liquid courage, refers to courage gained from intoxication with alcohol. History The popular story dates the etymology of the term ''Dutch courage'' to English soldiers fighting in the Anglo-Dutc ...

) and as a celebration before a

Passing out Passing may refer to: Social identity * Passing (sociology), presenting oneself as a member of another sociological group ** Passing (gender), presenting oneself as being cisgender ** Passing (racial identity), presenting oneself as a member of ...

parade. It is also traditionally served to soldiers in their beds by their officers on Christmas Day at

reveille "Reveille" ( , ), called in French "Le Réveil" is a bugle call, trumpet call, drum, fife-and-drum or pipes call most often associated with the military; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise. The name comes from (or ), the ...

if they are deployed over Christmas. Individual regiments may carry out the ritual on other days: for example, in the

Royal Tank Regiment The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. Today, it is the armoured regiment of the British Army's 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade. Formerly known as t ...

gunfire is served on Cambrai Day; in the Queen's Royal Hussars on Balaclava Day and

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

; and in the Royal Dragoon Guards gunfire made with whiskey on St Patrick's Day. During the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

, members of the American Military Police Corps were given gunfire by British soldiers under the guise of it being normal tea after a recovery mission. This led to intoxication of the MPs who then drove an

armoured recovery vehicle An armoured recovery vehicle (ARV) is typically a powerful tank or armoured personnel carrier (APC) chassis modified for use during combat for military vehicle recovery (towing) or repair of battle-damaged, stuck, and/or inoperable armoured ...

and some army jeeps into a camp gate as a result.

Australian and New Zealand armies

In Australia and New Zealand on

ANZAC Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands Ne ...

, a version of gunfire with black

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

instead of tea is served to soldiers before dawn services as part of the "gunfire breakfast".

Civilians

Gunfire has also been made and drunk outside of military circles. Gunfire was served to participants of British reality programme, Bad Lads Army by the non-commissioned officers before their passing out parade, mirroring the same procedure in the British Army. Gunfire is also drunk by Australian civilians to commemorate ANZAC Day. A similar drink, particularly in the German-speaking world is

Jagertee Jagertee (also Jägertee) is an alcoholic punch historically made by mixing "Inländer-Rum" with spiced black tea. It is served warm and is typically consumed during winter in the cold parts of Central Europe. Although Jagertee is easily made at ...

Recipe

Gunfire consists of one cup of black tea with one shot of rum, which is then stirred in the

cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, cl ...

References

{{Reflist, 30em British Army traditions Tea culture Cocktails with rum ANZAC 1890s establishments in the United Kingdom Australian alcoholic drinks New Zealand alcoholic drinks Cocktails with tea