Bassackwards Box
Lots of Thinkin
"The weight of rages will press hard upon the employer." - William Archibald Spooner
Bassackwards Box by Ryan Hughbanks
William Archibald Spooner was a deacon and scholar who spent the majority of his life at New College, Oxford University, where he was the Dean from 1876 - 1889. He is best remembered for his slips of the tongue, swapping words or letters of word pairs to comical effect – a phenomenon which became associated with his name. Of course the device was used for humor well before Spooner took the blame. Take, for example, the vulgar expression meaning to do something completely wrong, “bass-ackwards”, and its many variations. That expression is attributed to someone well before Spooner, of low moral character and insignificance:
"He said he was riding bass-ackwards on a jass-ack through a patton-cotch on a pair of baddle-sags stuffed full of binger-gred when the animal steered at a scump and the lirrup-steather broke and throwed him in the forner of the kence and broke his pishing-fole." – Abraham Lincoln, 1840’s
apropos assignation
Abraham Lincoln might have appreciated the newest creation from Ryan Hughbanks, his finest effort to date and one of the most enjoyable puzzle boxes of the year, in my humble opinion. Ryan’s Side Swiper Box, with its riot of colorful features and layers of interesting steps, heralded a new talent in this niche world. Ryan is full of creative ideas for boxes and is rapidly improving his woodworking skills. Bassackwards Box is beautifully rendered in contrasting Walnut and Padauk woods, with Leopardwood, Maple and Cherry accents. Inside, there is Alder and Oak, and the box is finished to a lustrous shine. Ryan started making this box with a few specific ideas in mind that changed over time into the final version, which is fortunate both for this amazing box and future designs which may still realize some of the ideas he shelved for now.
assiduously crafted
Bassackwards has a mixture of everything I find fun in a puzzle box. It’s a beautiful object that immediately draws ones attention. The excellent wood choices lend warmth and contrast. There are numerous details which invite a myriad of options and possibilities for initial exploration, which is an enjoyable experience without even getting anywhere. The level of difficulty achieves a perfect balance. There is a lot to discover, and it doesn’t come all at once, but it can likely be fully solved after a few sessions by most intrepid explorers. Everything is well hidden and there are many unexpected movements and connections that are not at all obvious. I found it paradoxically enjoyable to discovering a move, only to realize I was stuck again. Like the best puzzle boxes, it gives you an “aha” followed by a “now what”? This box provides that experience many times over. It’s a great way to design a box and gives the solver a lot of satisfaction, right up to the end, when there is yet one more challenge once you think the box is solved.
assess the assembled assumptions
Ryan has put a lot into this creation. There are multiple hidden surprises waiting, a lot of misdirection, some backwards logic and a unique trick I have not seen before which is so well executed it deserves special mention. In total I counted twenty-four steps, which is a bit subjective, but there is certainly enough here to keep the most savvy puzzler busy for a while. I give it my Lincoln presidential stamp of approval.
Color in Your Cheeks by Hayley Wilson
To toast the Bassackwards Box I’m taking a cheeky turn toward Portland, Maine where the Portland Hunt + Alpine Club, a Scandinavian inspired bar owned by Andrew and Briana Volk sets the standard for cocktails. At Hunt + Alpine, bartender activist Hayley Wilson developed a signature style described as “classics with a ‘punk meets tropical’ edge”. Her cocktail ethos is one I also try to embrace, making elevated drinks that are not too fussy or complicated to make. She describes how she wanted to make a shaken drink for the colder months in Maine, and specifically show how surprisingly versatile fernet can be. “You don’t see a ton of drinks where fernet is really the true star. It’s a bully, and a little goes a long way but I think the combination of egg, maple syrup, and citrus really make the ounce and a quarter I used shine through without destroying your palate.”
Falling for Fernet
Her “Color in Your Cheeks” features a bracing amount of Fernet-Branca, one of the bolder Italian amari you are likely to try. Fernet is a very bitter style of amaro originally marketed in Milan, 1845 as a cure for cholera and menstrual cramps. While the original recipe is a closely guarded secret of 27 herbs and botanicals, the company claims it includes “rhubarb, gentian, galangal, chamomile, linden (tiliae flos), iris, saffron, zedoary, myrrh and cinchona”. Wilson created a sour style cocktail with lemon juice to demonstrate how Fernet can play well with citrus. She layers in Applejack to give the drink some depth, and sweetens it all with maple syrup, a naturally perfect compliment to applejack (and Fernet). “Personally, when making drinks, I like to think about where I want to be, what I want to be doing, and what I want to be listening to when drinking that drink. In my mind, a great cocktail is an experience and that means thinking about your atmosphere as well. I named this drink after one of my favorite Mountain Goats songs because for me, winter in Maine is big wool sweaters, campfires, and strong drinks with something like The Mountain Goats or Neutral Milk Hotel in the background.” It’s a fabulous fall cocktail full of unexpected flavor. I think I may have misunderstood the name, and gotten the garnish all bassackwards, which is embarrassing, and making my cheeks turn red. Cheers!
Cheeky pair
Color in Your Cheeks by Hayley Wilson
1 ¼ oz Fernet-Branca
½ oz Laird’s Applejack
¾ oz lemon juice
¾ oz grade A Vermont maple syrup
½ oz egg white
Shake together to froth then add ice and shake to chill. Strain into a favorite glass and garnish with an apple fan or other interpretative flourish.
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