Dormouse Box
Sleepy Hollow
A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere. — Washington Irving, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
The Dormouse Box by Ray Sylvester and Lynn Hazell
One afternoon in 1995 while visiting New York City from their home in Britain, Ray Sylvester and his wife Kathy strolled up to a shop on 7th Avenue at 52nd Street. That fortuitous stop at “An American Craftsman” which culminated three hours later with Ray carrying his first ever “bandsaw box”, changed his life. He calls it his “Epiphany on 7th Avenue” – it was when he realized what he wanted to do with his second act. He retired early as an English teacher and together with Kathy opened Temima Crafts. Ray now calls himself a “Born Again Box Maker” and has been making various styles of Bandsaw Boxes and Vanishing Castles ever since.
A pair of dormice in their sleepy hollow
A bandsaw box is so named because it is created from a solid piece of wood using only the thin blade of a bandsaw. Most are not terribly puzzling but may include many layers of secret compartments and the occasional hidden mechanism. Ray likes to use wood with interesting figuring, markings, color or natural features from bark and burl knots, which he will preserve for the lid. When he finds a piece with a nook, cranny or hollow, he does something truly unique. After sawing off the top to preserve the natural features, he gives it to his good friend, the wildlife sculptor Lynn Hazell, who transforms it into something extraordinary. While Ray is busy crafting the bandsaw box, Lynn will analyze the lid and allow her inspiration to guide what type of stoneware “critter” she will create to nestle inside. Each of these special collaborative boxes is individual and unique.
mottled birch burl
The Dormouse Box is one of Ray’s “medio style” boxes made from mottled birch burl. It features an intricate knot of bark and branches on top with a little hollow where two adorable dormice are nestled, asleep. These particular critters must be “hazel dormice”, the type found in the British Isles, and natural friends of Lynn Hazell. The box itself hides a few secret compartments and is locked by a central “key” well disguised within the knot. The mice in the “sleepy hollow” are absolutely adorable and give the piece a warm and welcoming feeling that’s perfect for this crisp autumn All Hallows Eve.
Sleepy Hollow adapted from Diana Yen
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, the American gothic story from 1820 written by Washington Irving, tells the ill-fated tale of Ichabod Crane, resident of the ghost riddled glen of Sleepy Hollow in Tarrytown New York, who incurs the wrath of the Headless Horseman. Diana Yen, who runs a multidisciplinary creative studio focused on recipe development and food styling in New York City called “The Jewels of New York”, turned the story into a creative cocktail back in 2014. Her Halloween themed drink is a well built mezcal Old Fashioned which uses a healthy dose of Allspice dram to sweeten the drink and preps the glass with a rinse of absinthe. The drink is served with a smoky sprig of rosemary to highten the olfactory and visual senses.
rich, warm flavors of the season
Allspice dram is a liqueur traditionally made by infusing pot-stilled Jamaican rum with pimento berries – in other words, allspice. The liqueur is essential in many tropical (tiki) cocktails, full of exotic spice and less sweet than a sugar syrup. Add some to any drink for an instant autumn or winter vibe. I’ve tinkered with Yen’s cocktail recipe slightly by substituting the allspice dram for Besamim, a lovely seasonal liqueur from an independent California craft distillery. It has a flavor profile similar to allspice but with a broader warm spice palate. I’ve also added a touch of Sfumato, a favorite smoky rich amaro, and tweaked the sweetness with a pinch of cinnamon syrup. It’s the kind of drink that will make you curl up in your own sleepy hollow on a cold autumn evening. Happy Halloween - Cheers!
a cozy pair
Sleepy Hollow, adapted from Diana Yen
2 oz mezcal
½ oz Besamim
¼ oz Sfumato
Barspoon cinnamon syrup
Absinthe rinse
Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Smoked rosemary garnish, or a dormouse lemon wheel.
For more about Ray Sylvester:
For more about Lynn Hazell: