Spheres

Life on the Inside

“I have hardly anything in common with myself and should stand very quietly in a corner, content that I can breathe.” ― Franz Kafka

Staying at home all the time can make anyone feel cramped (and maybe a little crazy?), but perhaps the experience will encourage an appreciation of how much can actually be packed into a limited space. This may apply metaphorically, but let’s be completely literal for a moment. If you have found yourself reorganizing closets to make room for extra dry goods, or toilet paper, you’ll know what I mean. Some folks have even needed to partition their homes into sections where someone might be isolated. All this organizing requires careful planning and some creative solutions.

Spheres by Stephan Baumegger

Which seems like the perfect segue to introduce the concept of the packing puzzle, where the object of the exercise is to place all of the pieces inside something neatly and completely. These puzzles often take the form of a cube, and without the pieces inside, the “container” is most certainly a box, although this does not technically count as a “puzzle box”. Thus, we actually have another episode of “Packing and Potions”. The inaugural episode was in November, back when we could all celebrate holidays like Thanksgiving together in person. It featured the diabolical “Flatliner” puzzle from Mike Toulouzas, and now would not be a good time to take it out again, since it was named for the cardiac arrest it tends to elicit and the hospitals are full at the moment.

Exquisite details and unique stone spheres make this one quite special

Let’s enjoy something a bit more well-rounded right now, so to speak, instead. The Spheres puzzle, from Austrian puzzlemaker Stephan Baumegger, is an absolutely beautiful mixed media creation. Stephan’s woodworking skills on his highly complex and sought after interlocking puzzles are among the best in the world. His creations often reference pop culture icons including superheroes (Thor’s Hammer), Star Wars (Droid), and Disney (Sorcerer’s Apprentice). He turns these objects into high level burr puzzles with many pieces that are not for the faint of heart. In Spheres, he has focused his considerable skill on the humble packing puzzle. Stephan has a successful track record in the annual International Puzzle Design Competition and knew he wanted to create a packing puzzle for his 2019 entry. He started with some pieces he had designed years before, but knew he needed something special. Initially he had the idea for a single sphere, but his own AHA moment came when he noticed he could add two more into the design. He relates that at that moment he shouted to his wife, “I got it!”. It’s amusing to imagine he went through the same epiphany in designing the puzzle as everyone who eventually solves it.

Huddled Masses Highball

Six wooden pieces (two mirror image sets of three identical pieces) and three stone spheres are to be placed flush into a cubic box so the lid can slide shut completely. The wood pieces are crafted from exotic Zebrano and Wenge, the box from Maple with an inlayed ribbon running around the sides and a decoratively carved lid, and the spheres from Jasper, a beautiful stone famous for the landscape like patterns that run through it. The wood details are exceptional but the solid stone spheres add a surprising and elegant touch to the puzzle, making it one of the more beautiful and unique packing puzzles in the world. The puzzle itself is also a brilliant design with the perfect balance. The solution is elegant and satisfying, requiring logic and planning, but is not so difficult as to make you want to hurl a stone at anything. It’s no surprise the puzzle won Stephan another “Top Ten” award at the 19th International Puzzle Design Competition.

Here’s a toast to this perfect puzzle, packed with similarly complex components. It’s a drink I created last year for a cocktail competition that resonates well with the idea of a packing puzzle. It’s also a toast to the city hardest hit in America in recent days, the gateway to the world, and serves as a tribute to all of the people around the globe who are effected.

Tequila with bitter lemon soda would be good enough, but let's pack a few more pieces in here

The drink is a “highball”, traditionally a base spirit diluted heavily over ice with soda water in a tall glass. In this version, which features aged tequila, there are a few unusual and unexpected flavors provided by French Genepy des Alpes and Italian Amaro Abano which bring floral, herbal and bitter notes. Genepy is a wildflower herb which grows indigenous in the Alps, where its liqueur is a popular apres-ski staple. Milder than the more popular Chartreuse, it can be used in a similar fashion in cocktails. Amaro Abano is a medium bitter after dinner digestif quite popular in the Veneto region of Italy, where the Abano spa it is named after resides. It features flavors of the wild herbs that grow naturally in the region, infused with cardamom, cinnamon and bitter orange peel. Bitter lemon is used to top off this highball rather than plain soda water, to complement the tequila (which pairs well with citrus), and a little ginger sweetness to balances everything nicely. It’s a delicious drink and might help you solve your own self isolation induced packing puzzles right now. But just mix up any highball variation you’ve got ingredients for at home right now, and raise your glass to creative packing solutions – cheers!

This pair is well packed

Huddled Masses

1 ½ oz Reposado tequila

½ oz Genepy des Alpes

½ oz Luxardo Amaro Abano

¾ oz ginger liqueur

Fever Tree Bitter Lemon

Build in a highball glass with ice, stir and top with the Bitter Lemon. Lemon twist.

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