Nick Knack

I'm "mixing it up" here at Boxes and Booze this week, with a surprise "Special Edition" of "Packing and Potions" in honor of that legend of logic, the duke of dissection, the grand poobah of puzzles, his royal highness of hi-jinks, yes, the one and only, Nick Baxter. Many of you are well familiar with Dr. Volker Latussek, the brilliant award winning and prolific puzzle designer who recently invented the "Euklid" and Euklid for Kids" set of seemingly simple yet deviously difficult packing puzzles. Euklid defeated many great puzzlers who couldn't manage to get all of the pieces packed neatly inside the box, so in response the good doctor came up with a "for Kids" version, with just three pieces. How hard could that be? Nick Baxter, head of the World Puzzle Federation US Puzzle Team, among other aliases, doesn't need the easy version - he discovered no fewer than twenty-two solutions to Euklid, the original. So again, Dr. Latussek provided a response: Euklid for Nick, which has just a single solution.

Euklid for Nick by Dr. Volker Latussek

Nick Baxter wrote about it:

"For the last ten years, Dr. Volker Latussek and I have been good friends and I've enjoyed every one of his wonderful entries for the Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition (Tower of London and Casino both winning the jury's Grand Prize). But recently something unexpected happened: there should have been just one solution for Euklid, but I found 22, and there could be more! Then apparently Dr L. lost a wager that I was not even aware of, and was forced to name his next design after his new-found nemesis. I can confirm that this time he got it right!

Euklid for Nick is actually for everyone, even kids—anyone looking for a challenging and rewarding puzzle solving experience. And I feel the new puzzle combines the best attributes of its two predecessors. Euklid had seven blocks of various sizes, making it awkward for us to keep track of our failures. On the other hand, Euklid for Kids teased us with only three pieces that didn't cooperate. This time we're again presented with seven blocks, but only two different sizes. They are still not terribly cooperative, but at least we get a more generous opening for the box. But of course, there is plenty of room for rotations!

Euklid and Euklid for Kids by Dr. Volker Latussek

If the Euklid story is a trilogy, this is a fitting finale. I have mixed emotions having my name associated with this design, as I really had nothing to do with it, except perhaps reminding Dr. L of the virtues of a puzzle with a unique solution! And this one is unique in many ways. If you enjoyed any bit of the previous two, you will not be disappointed with the latest Euklid episode."

Nick can be so picky

Let's toast this tribute puzzle with a fitting tipple. This classic can be traced back to some time in the nineteen-thirties, when cocktail culture had left America due to Prohibition and landed overseas. Harry Craddock, a seminal figure in cocktail history, was an icon at the Savoy Hotel in London. He was also the President of the United Kingdom Bartender's Guild, which published, in 1937, a compendium of current approved and "authorized" cocktails of the day. There is mention within those yellowed pages of a Sidney J. Read, whose biography is mostly lost to history, save for the classic cocktails he invented, including the one we are toasting with now.

A little Dram o' Drambuie

I've extolled the virtues of a proper whiskey sour before, merely standing on the shoulders of men like Read. His version features Drambuie, that storied blend of honeyed whiskey from Scotland. Drambuie, from the Gaelic "An Dram Buidheach" (The Drink that Satisfies), originated in the mid eighteenth century as the personal beverage of Prince Charles Edward Stuart - Bonnie Prince Charlie would drink a dram a day for strength and vitality, they say. Which just might be what's required if you attempt Euklid for Nick - Cheers!

Which would you nick? I mean, pick ... err, nevermind

Old Nick by Sidney J. Read c. 1930's

1 1/2 oz rye whiskey

3/4 oz Drambuie

1/2 oz fresh lemon

1/2 oz fresh orange

2 dashes orange bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a Nick and Nora glass. Garnish appropriately.

N