Loco Lock

The insanity is setting in. Activity at Boxes and Booze headquarters is at a heightened paced and a frenzied state, as a certain event looms nigh. We are still putting on a calm cool and collected external demeaner, however, as expected. Come join me as I go a little crazy with this apropos offering.

We head back to Tel Aviv to visit our friend Boaz Feldman, Israeli puzzle maker and heir to the Feldman lock legacy. At last year’s International Puzzle Party Boaz introduced an innocuous little lock that seems rather uninteresting, except for the fact that it won’t open at all despite having a key that actually fits the lock. There is literally no movement or distinguishing features which are out of the ordinary, yet something decidedly strange is going on here. “I was playing with the lock parts and thought about altering them to support a new mechanism. In this case, it was clear to me that this lock doesn't reveal its secret easily. By that, I mean it provides (almost) no clue about the steps you should perform. That's not the case I'm my other designs.”

Boaz partners with the Israeli padlock company Nabob, whose factory is not far from his home, and where he has been treated like family since he was a boy. “Unlike other makers who plan and build a puzzle from scratch, in my case, I'm really limited by the lock's machinery and its assembly process. And in this case too, as it has happened many times before, everything looked great at the beginning, but when moving to production, I faced real problems. Even worse, some of the copies were successful while others weren't, and I couldn't find the reason for that. I had to discard many units. I managed to produce more copies after IPP40 and decided to conclude the production. So for now, I'm left with a few last copies, and I won't make any more.”

Loco may be crazy but I think it is fair to say that it is also really challenging. It’s difficult to figure out what to do, or what may be going on inside. Boaz helpfully provided me with many hints, over and over, and yet … “The puzzle itself has a really strange behavior once you know what to do. It's very surprising in my opinion. Many people like it, and the feedback is very good, although it's sort of a blind solve.

People loved the fact the instruction card was not identical. I've printed 5 different designs, and that was funny to see people comparing their cards. I would also say that Loco has a "crazy" modification, that makes it different from my other puzzles. It is sort of... loco.... And that raises an important question: What would be the right cocktail one needs to drink before trying to defeat Loco?”

El Camillo Loco cocktail Bar Shira — El Camillo Loco by Bar Shira

That is indeed a very important question. What cocktail should we enjoy while trying to open a crazy lock called loco? It should be something equally crazy, don’t you think? Israeli bartender Bar Shira from Imperial Craft Cocktail Bar in Tel Aviv won the Bacardi Legacy cocktail competition held in San Francisco in 2016 with this crazy cocktail. International relations were warming between the US and Cuba at the time and he took his inspiration from this, playing off the simplicity of a Cuba Libre and also a Michelada.

In his research for the drink and the competition’s sponsor, he discovered that Bacardi had once produce Hatuey, the most popular beer in Cuba, which was always delivered with a block of ice to keep it nice and cold. So in addition to Bacardi rum, his drink would need both beer and ice too. Like the Cuba Libre, he wanted a drink that would be easy to make, using common ingredients found in most any bar. The drink should be built in the glass it will be served in, no need for a separate mixing tin or shaker. So easy! Of course, it is also crazy good, which may be why it won the competition. Shira recommends making his drink while wearing a camel head mask, and calls his creation “Untameable”! Cheers!

Loco Lock and Camello Loco — a wild and crazy pair

El Camello Loco by Bar Shira

1 ½ oz Bacardi Carta Blanca Superior white rum

1 oz Rosso vermouth

1 oz lime

1/3 oz rich simple syrup

3 oz pilsner lager

Build ingredients in a glass and fill with ice, stir. Expressed lemon peel garnish.

Going crazy

Loco Lock

Playing With Your Food