Gold Chest
Golden Hour
“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.” – J.R.R.Tolkien
Gold Chest by Akio Kamei
The weather turns colder and we look back to golden sunny days for a little warmth. Here’s a beautiful classic from the great Akio Kamei himself that should do the trick. Kamei is credited with reviving the ancient craft of puzzle box making, which started in the Hakone Odawara region of Japan about two hundred years ago. He was born in Osaka in 1948, and began working with the Yamanaka puzzle company in 1972. In the early 1980’s he set out on his own to begin creating his legendary puzzle boxes, and he coined the term “karakuri box” to represent the “trick”, rather than the secret, way of opening them. To him this implied there was more thinking to be done, and perhaps more fooling. He incorporates principles of physics into his designs, and often misdirection, or even outright deceit – what he calls a “doodle bug” (a red herring).
He also has a wonderful sense of humor, and encourages anyone trying to solve his puzzles to have the same. That is quite a challenge – to be caught in a trap, and laugh.
As good as gold
He created his Gold Chest in the eighties, one of his more iconic pieces. The chest, which appears to have a lid and base, is secured all around by bands of dark wood. There is a surprising amount of movement possible about the chest, once exploration commences, and ultimately one may be victorious and reveal the secret space within. Here is where Kamei plays one of his famous tricks, which has been emulated time and again ever since. There is a second secret space, easily missed, and requiring a counter intuitive process to find. He leads you down one path, so you may miss the other. It’s a perfect way to hide the gold.
Going for Gold by Daniel Miller
Here's a golden toast to the master, with a drink that can make any day a little brighter. It features “orange wine”, made with an ancient technique that has resurfaced in popularity in recent years thanks to the “natural wine” fad. Orange wine obviously refers to the color of the final product, which can range from pale straw yellow to deep auburn, but truly indicates the process of fermenting white grapes with the skins on for varying periods of time to produce wine with more body and tannin.
Orange you going to share?
This cocktail comes from Daniel Miller of V Street in Philadelphia, an entirely vegan restaurant and bar. The drink is fabulously refreshing and full of tasty tang. The more complex wine adds body to the sherry and the pineapple and ginger provide a super summery feel. This may be the perfect summer beach sipper, and then there’s the rest of the bottle of wine to contend with if you’re just feeling too lazy to make another cocktail. It’s absolutely golden. Cheers!
Au pair
Going for Gold by Daniel Miller
1 ¼ oz orange wine
1 ½ oz manzanilla sherry
½ oz ginger syrup
1 oz tangy pineapple syrup
½ oz lime
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Chilled soda water
Shake ingredients together with ice and strain into a salt rimmed glass. Top with the soda water and stir gently to combine.
Tangy pineapple syrup: 15 oz fresh pineapple juice, ½ cup sugar, 2 ½ oz white vinegar, pinch of salt. Combine over low heat until dissolved, cool and bottle.
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