Escalating Box

Panic Attack

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I had a perfectly good offering for you all this week, polished and ready to go, but it will have to wait. I’ve weighed the evidence, consulted with the experts, and made a difficult decision – I’m going to have to cancel this week’s originally planned post.

Don’t Panic! – Douglas Adams

Escalating Box by Eric Fuller

In light of the escalating global pandemic I instead strongly advise everyone to stay home with this apropos puzzle box from the doctor of devious designs, the original Raleigh renegade, Eric Fuller. His puzzle boxes never disappoint and always fail to open rapidly, so I wouldn’t suggest that you store your face mask in one. His recent “Escalating Box” was the result of some crowd sourcing he did on social media. Eric has so many tricky ideas that he had originally planned this one as two distinct puzzle boxes. He is also extremely methodical and calculating about cost containment and accessibility for his work. He won’t make something that doesn’t make financial sense or would price out of range for most of his customers. It occurred to him that he could combine both mechanisms for the individual boxes into one, more complex box, but that would increase costs significantly. So he sent the choice out for public comment, and the response was an overwhelming acceptance of higher cost for more puzzling box. Which is all relative with Eric’s creations, since he prices all of his work ridiculously low and has the highest quality to cost value ratio of any puzzle maker.

Things are escalating rapidly

The box is beautifully crafted from quilted maple and features various exotic wood choices on the lid. It’s a perfect size to hold and feels luxurious to the touch. Eric’s wood craft has always been precise and of extremely high quality but his recent higher end work has taken on new dimensions of expertise. This box could easily be mistaken for one from Kagen Sound, for example, who often finishes his pieces like fine musical instruments. There are a few little holes, a bit of metal showing, and not very much movement available. Some exploration will suggest what the first steps will likely require, and figuring out how to achieve them is a fun process. The box progresses in this way, moving from the first set of locking steps into the next, and there is yet one more surprise awaiting. In combining the two original mechanisms, their interplay makes the solution more difficult, and Eric has even thrown in a third locking mechanism at the end as a little extra not so fast, there you go and thank you very much. It’s a wonderfully fun escalation and just what the doctor ordered to distract you in these distracting days.

“I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.” — Mark Twain

This drink is DTF

I’ve also got the antidote for what ails you right here, a perfect potion creation with which to face the escalation. This one comes from New Orleans celebrated bartender T. Cole Newton, who has spent time behind the stick at the venerable Commander’s Palace, Coquette, Loa, Troubador and his own bar, Twelve Mile Limit. He created his version of a “Touch of Evil” while at Coquette. I say “his version” as there are a number of different recipes for a drink with this name. I’m never surprised when a great name is used over and again for different drinks by different sources. It’s almost impossible to copyright a drink, and names only stick when something becomes so popular it finds its way onto other bar menus. Now seems like the perfect time for A Touch of Evil to go … viral.

“In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm.” – Albert Camus

Now that's a spicy meatball

Cole’s drink brings the heat with jalapeno infused tequila and brings the sweet with vanilla liqueur and orgeat syrup. I’ve swapped out the vanilla for Italicus, a bergamot orange liqueur, and the orgeat for Amaretto.

For the jalapeno tequila I’m using Soltado, an anejo tequila infused with serrano pepper and cinnamon. It’s out of this world delicious and packs a punch. Hot pepper infusions are easy to do at home as well, just don’t let the peppers sit for too long – taste test every few hours until it’s hot enough for your preference. Cole also only rinses the glass with Campari, but I love what it brings to the drink so increased the amount slightly and added it straight into the mix. The results are sensational, a flavorful and complex margarita with some serious heat that sneaks up on you. You’re going to want to share this one, but don’t! Here’s to keeping your distance, washing your hands, and staying home – it’s time everyone became a home bartender. Be safe and be smart. Cheers! 

I'd quarantine with this pair

DTF (Don’t Touch Face) adapted from T. Cole Newton

1 oz hot pepper-infused tequila (Soltado)

½ oz Amaretto

½ oz Italicus

¾ oz lime

½ oz simple syrup

¼ oz Campari

Shake ingredients together with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Don't forget to give your garnish a face mask.

“This is not a time to keep the facts from the people-to keep them complacent. To sound the alarm is not to panic but to seek action from an aroused public. For, as the poet Dante once said: 'The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a time of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.” - John F. Kennedy

For more from Eric Fuller:

Ponder the pandemic