Bad Moon

The passage of time has been marked via the heavens since the first sentient looked skyward. In most ancient cultures, the cycles of the moon were used to track time and the seasons, with approximately 29.5 moons per month leading to twelve lunar months and a 354 day year. The Gregorian solar based calendar wasn’t invented until 1582, and was not widely adopted as the global standard until approximately a century ago. Because the solar year is approximately 365 days, there are 11 extra “lunar” days each year, a problem solved on the Gregorian calendar by adding a few days here and there to some months. On a lunar calendar, however, this means there will be an extra month ever three years or so. The full moon during these rare months feels sad to be left out so often, which is why it is known as the blue moon.

Not to be outdone, every full moon each month has a special name, too – many names, in fact. You might recall the “Super Blood Wolf Moon” which occurred a few years ago during a rare confluence of a super moon (when the full moon coincides with the moon’s perigree, its closest distance to Earth along its elliptical orbit) and a blood moon (when the moon is in a total lunar eclipse). The last time this happened was during a January full moon, which is known as the “wolf” moon in North America. In December, just a few days from now, we have the “cold” full moon, a name derived from the Mohawk Native Americans. Other tribal names for the December moon include “Moon of the Popping Trees”, “Snow Moon”, “Long Night Moon” and “Little Spirit Moon”.

Naming moons can be hard work. Especially when they only appear to be half-moons. Just ask Dee Dixon, whose newest sequential discovery puzzle box elicited a whole family of moon shot suggestions from the community. Dee settled on the name “Bad Moon”, which in the end was his own perfect contribution. What everyone failed to realize, when proposing possible appellations such as “half-eaten oreo” or “cream cheese croissant” (aside from forgetting that mechanical puzzles are best served as food for thought), was what would happen when a semi-circular drawer is fully withdrawn. This moon is bad in the naughty, devious and disobedient sort of way, and full of clever surprises, twists, and quite literal turns. Dee explains, “Bad Moon first came about 6 months ago when I wanted to do a circular drawer type puzzle. The first step was to make a simple circular shaped drawer to see if it would work. After that I worked on turning it into a puzzle. I knew I wanted it to have several steps to open the drawer and even more steps beyond that, so I began designing mechanisms. I wanted most of it to be internal with very little showing on the outside. Designing everything to work in an arch, or circular pattern and keep the majority of the mechanisms on the inside was time-consuming and tedious. This required making multiple prototypes. The design and build process developed much like Angry Walter did. I would incorporate an idea, see if it worked, make adjustments, and build upon that. After I was satisfied with the number of steps, I realized it was nearly impossible to reset—so back to the drawing board. After trouble shooting, I redesigned several steps and found fun and elegant ways to reset the puzzle. Part of the puzzle is the reset itself.”

Dee mentions something I struggled with as well. Initially the puzzle seemed novel but a bit trivial, with a few things happening relatively quickly. But like the best designers, Dee provides an easy entry to lure one into the puzzle, and then sets to work making one howl at this moon. There are a few steps which require unusual logic and unexpected use of discovered tools, and a grand finale which is quite satisfying. What is left then is a pile of odd bits and pieces (“tools”), some of which seem almost impossible to reset properly inside the dark and deep crescent from whence they emerged …. I was intimidated by this daunting challenge, having recently been frightened by another scary creature, so Dee kindly explained what he had designed. Careful observation of the components will reveal things used, and perhaps not used, yet, but everything has a purpose and plan, and resetting the puzzle is also a nice puzzle, with everything clicking together again with a satisfying snap when done correctly. Chasing this brilliantly bad moon through all its phases turns out to be a surprisingly new experience that will leave you full of praise.

It’s not every cocktail that audibly calls to mind the perfect song to accompany it while imbibing, although there are certainly many that have been named for a song. Even less common is a puzzle box that calls to mind a song, but here we are humming Credence Clearwater Revival along with both the box and the booze pairing. That tune has stood the test of time as a modern classic, no less thanks to its timeless message of concern for our country and the state of the world we live in. The song inspired my friend and fellow blogger Carla Camerieri, author of Thirsty Camel Cocktails and a bartender in New Jersey, to seek out a drink named after it, which had yet to be dreamed up. She asked her friend, Philadelphia bartender Mathias Bable, to create it, based on both the name “Bad Moon Rising” and a signature ingredient, Fernet Branca.

Fernet is a bold and broodingly bitter amaro that has been described as a “bully”, because it can dominate all other flavors in a glass. For some it’s a rite of passage in the world of amaros, and can be considered a “bartender’s handshake”, an insider’s late night digestive or an ingredient in a cocktail only someone in the industry could love. For others it’s a gauntlet thrown, a challenging ingredient to tame and balance in a tasty tipple. The goal is not to bury the flavor (impossible) but rather to enhance it, alter it, celebrate it and enjoy it. This is traditionally done by using just a touch of Fernet, as in Ada Coleman’s classic “Hanky Panky”. Bable, however, did not shy away and used half an ounce in his revival ode, but it works wonderfully well combined with a bold rye and rich port. Lime and ginger play very well with Fernet Branca, and the egg white and prosecco give the whole affair the appropriate “rise”. It’s a deep dark, bittersweet and spicy delight that will surely chase away any dread brought on by the big bad moon. Bable died in 2021, much too soon, but his creativity lives on.

Bad Moon Rising by Mathias Bable and Carla Camerieri

¾ oz rye

¾ oz tawny port

½ oz Fernet Branca

½ oz lime

¼ oz ginger liqueur

1 oz egg white

Prosecco to top

Shake ingredients (except prosecco) together with ice (dry / wet shake) and strain into a favorite coup. top with prosecco and garnish with a bruleed apple slice.

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