T-Cupe
T - Party
It's high time for a journey, don't you think? Perhaps a little mystery trip, to an undisclosed destination, to meet some puzzling people. It sounds like fun, right? It seems apropos to have a little road trip theme for this week’s offering. Let’s hop in the car, boat, train, plane or rocket ship, and set off, shall we?
T-Cupe by Rocky Chiarro
We’ve been on many trips together before, such as the sailing trip we took to Southern destinations to see the Stickman Cross Box and Gatewood’s Double Cross Box, and the outer space journey we took aboard the fastest manned rocket in history (the X-15) to see the ringed planets, but we’ve never ridden in an elegant all brass automobile. Rocco Chiarro, best known as “Rocky”, is well known for his home made puzzles of solid brass which he hand mills in his Colorado workshop. His cleverly named interlocking puzzles, take apart bolts, and key puzzles each provide a new and unique challenge.
Rocky has spent a lifetime with his hobby, getting his puzzle making start as a machinist in the Navy. He relates that his first puzzle ever was an eight piece interlocking block which he created simply to practice his skills while stationed at Pearl Harbor in 1950. It didn't stay together - it took another thirty years for him to create a version with a central locking pin. It was around that time that he chanced upon an add in a woodworking magazine for "Puzzles Wanted". He answered it on a whim, sending his design to none other than Jerry Slocum, who loved it. That was when his hobby became his second act, and his "retirement" turned into his "Brass Puzzles by Rocky" which are prized by collectors around the world.
Don't be cranky
He has made a few secret opening “boxes” as well over the years, including this impressive replica of a Model T. Rocky relates that one day, while standing around the pool table with his buddies, sharing stories of old cars, the idea came up and they requested he make a car puzzle. With Rocky, he first envisions what the puzzle should be, and the solution. Only then will he decide on the mechanics of how it should be done. Once he knows these crucial details, he will start to make the puzzle. For this car puzzle project, he reminisced back to when he was fifteen years old, and had his first driver’s license. It was 1945, during the end of the second World War. He recalled Ford Model A’s and Model T’s, and decided he would make a replica of the 1923 Model T Coupe. Rocky also copyrights the names he gives all of his puzzles. He chose “T-Cupe” for this one, for obvious reasons, and so as not to infringe on the original by altering the spelling slightly. The T-Cupe is a marvelous creation, with tiny details and many moving parts. The opening sequence is delightful and clever, and won’t leave you kicking the tires for too long. It’s one stylish ride.
Model T from Backbar, Detroit
To launch the start of this journey we will toast with the Model T as well, the signature Manhattan variation at Backbar in Detroit Michigan. The drink pays homage to the bar’s history, housed inside the region’s first Ford dealership built in 1921. It’s a classic cocktail for a classic automobile, made all the more special because of Detroit’s claim to American automobile history. The additional touches of Chartreuse and allspice add just the right twist to make this into something intriguingly new while remaining satisfyingly familiar. It’s a great way to start a journey. Safe travels and, in the cheerful words of Rocky Chiarro, “Be Good Have Fun, Always Puzzling” - Cheers!
A true classic
Model T – Backbar, Detroit
1 ¾ oz Bourbon blend (orig w Jim Bean Black)
¾ oz Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
½ oz Yellow Chartreuse
Stir with ice and strain into a favorite glass which has been spritzed with clove-infused rum (or simply swirl some allspice liqueur or bitters in the glass). Garnish with a bourbon cherry or a lime wedge automobile. Cheers!
I hate to T's you ... its just auto-matic
For more from Rocco Chiarro see:
For prior Manhattan variations see: