Pirate’s Compass
True North
"True enough, this compass does not point north."
"...Where does it point?"
"It points to the thing you want most in this world."
―Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann, Pirates of the Caribbean
Anyone who has seen any of the Disney franchise movies “Pirates of the Caribbean” will no doubt have noted Captain Jack Sparrow’s unusual compass. The uninitiated were likely to dismiss the old worn trinket as useless, with its needle bouncing here and there, and certainly not to the north. Yet it was the legendary pirate’s most valuable possession. He knew it could lead him to the things he most wanted, not only in this world, but the next one, too. Of course, each sequel made sure he wanted something new!
Pirate’s Compass by Tyler Williams
Tyler Williams of Beard’s Woodshop is fond of recreating iconic items from his favorite movies, and turning them into clever puzzles. His Avengers themed puzzles are a lot of fun, and now he has reproduced Jack Sparrow’s magic compass as a sequential discovery puzzle box. From Tyler: “Pirates of the Caribbean gave me a solid idea to make one that looked like the compass. With this being a sequential discovery, trying to put as many steps as possible in such a small puzzle was difficult but I think it turned out well. I designed it in layers so each layer would interact with the next. The prototype worked so well that there was no need to redesign any portion.”
What do you desire?
Tyler did an admirable job with the creation, making the compass look just like the one from the movies. It’s a handsome piece made from walnut, maple and padauk woods, that hides many secrets and a few unexpected surprises. In additional to the eight hidden steps there are a few tools to be discovered, including a spyglass and a metal key, before the pirate’s treasure can be recovered. Navigate your way to what you most desire and retrieve the gold doubloon!
“Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates.”
— Mark Twain, ‘Life On The Mississippi’.
Rusty Compass by Meaghan Dorman
A pirate’s toast is in order for this fine nautical novelty. Let’s travel back to the Isle of Sky in the late 1800’s, where the clan MacKinnon were perfecting their age old recipe of scotch, honey and herbs that would go on to become better known as Drambuie, from the Scottish Gaelic phrase an dram buidheach, "the drink that satisfies". First commercially produced in Edinburgh, 1910, the makers backdated the “origin” story to 1746, claiming that Prince Charles Edward Stuart gifted the secret recipe to Captain John MacKinnon for providing sanctuary, although the truth of this is contested, as is the case with most of these spirited backstories. Drambuie is nonetheless a delicious liqueur and ideal as a sweetening agent in many cocktails, but particularly well suited for a scotch base. In fact one of the most famous Drambuie cocktails is the relatively simple combination of 1 part Drambuie to 2 parts scotch known as a Rusty Nail, a drink that gained popularity in the fifties and was a favorite of the Hollywood ‘rat pack’ of the sixties.
Lovechild of a Rusty Nail and a Blood and Sand
Modern day bartender Meaghan Dorman is a celebrated and successful figure in the spirits industry and proprietor of the highly regarded New York bars Raines Law Room and Dear Irving, among her many other accomplishments. “I believe in nurturing the magic that comes with the right combination of delicious cocktails, music, ambience & people.” Dorman loves cherry Heering and scotch, and says they used a lot of Compass Box’s smoky Peat Monster at Raines Law Room when it first came out. Her update on the Rusty Nail was a natural result, featuring the intense scotch, which she offsets with Drambuie, of course, but also a touch of the bitter sweet cherry liqueur. It’s a subtle adjustment to the classic that also pays homage to another famous cocktail made with scotch and cherry liqueur, the Blood and Sand. I’d say it’s the perfect way to conjure a pirate’s treasure, locked tight in a chest held fast by rusted nails, buried deep in the blood stained sand, and only revealed with aid of a (magical) rusted compass. Cheers!
Navigate to this pair
Rusty Compass by Meaghan Dorman
1 ½ oz Compass Box Peat Monster scotch
¾ oz Drambuie
½ oz Heering cherry liqueur
Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite chalice. Orange twist garnish, or a lime wheel compass.
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