Uplift

Dee Dixon is on a roll. Or at least, his newest puzzle box is, if placed on end at the top of a slope. It will roll all the way into that special place on your shelf where you keep the fun puzzles. Dee is well known for his clever and creative designs, and likes to challenge himself with new ideas and new forms. His first foray into the circular shape was seen in Bad Moon, a dynamic half circle full of twists and tricks. His most recent design, “Uplift”, promises more twists and turns as a fully formed disc from the outset. Dee sent me an early copy made mostly of cherry wood to review and promote, to coincide with his planned release launch. The production version is made with sapele and cherry wood in an alternating pattern which has a bit more pop to it - sign up on his website to be alerted about the release and don’t let this one roll away from you. Dee shared some thoughts about his new puzzle, which developed out of a non-puzzle related box he crafted for fun and as a break from complex mechanism design. These side projects often then lead to opportunities for new challenges, which is just how Dee’s mind works.

“In between puzzle builds, I usually take a break and make craft items for the pure joy of it. Oftentimes these crafts give me puzzle ideas. Such is the case with Uplift. I like to take an item already made and try to convert it into an interesting puzzle. It's challenging, and this forces me to be creative. As with all of my puzzles, I go through several prototypes and improve on each one and eventually send them out for testing. Surprisingly, Uplift had very few prototypes, but I did struggle with the aesthetics a bit. In the end, I think I crafted a fairly decent-looking puzzle.”

“Every puzzle build fills you with ideas, and it's hard to choose which ones are best suited and which ones to leave out and possibly use in the next puzzle. Not the case with Uplift. Everything just kind of flowed from one idea to the next, and I feel they incorporated well into the design. I believe a puzzle is successful when it results in the solver being left with a smile on their face, regardless of difficulty although I think Uplift will provide a decent challenge.”

Uplift doesn’t reveal its secrets right away, but provides some expected movement that will likely have you going round … yes, in circles … for a while. There are at least two distinct walls to hit, both extremely clever and intentional, and maybe a third psychological wall that Dee has mischievously planted as well. I found it to be a perfect balance of confounding mystery and exploration, with nothing happening for a while, leading to the first real discovery after some time, but not so much as to be frustrating. This is the sweet spot for a discovery puzzle in my opinion. There is nothing “blind” either, despite keeping the secrets well concealed, which is a hard trick to pull off. I like that Dee alternates extremely challenging puzzles like Walter’s Radio with satisfying, reasonably tricky solves like this one – it’s rather uplifting.

I’m toasting this uplifting puzzle box with an uplifting cocktail, which is best held tight in the hand, lest it float away on you. It was created by San Francisco bartender Erik Adkins who helms the bar at Hard Water, his most recent of many stints in the bay city. The Bourbon Lift is a playful, nostalgic drink that’s hard to put down, and not because it might float away on a fluffy cloud. It’s delicious. Adkins says, of his creative ethos, “We just want to make the best cocktail we can with simple, but longstanding ingredients.”

The Bourbon Lift reminds me of a coffee egg cream, that New York staple of the soda fountain era made with sweet syrup and soda water (but not eggs or cream!). The bourbon keeps things boozy but the coffee liqueur, which in this case is the “Nola” by St George Spirits (deliciously featuring Yirgacheffe coffee, chicory root, and vanilla beans) sets it apart. It gives the ubiquitous espresso martini a run for the money and is even tastier. Let this spirited lift lift your spirits, too. Cheers!

Bourbon Lift by Erik Adkins

1 ½ oz bourbon

½ oz coffee liqueur

½ oz orgeat

½ oz heavy cream

Soda water

Shake ingredients (except soda water) with ice and strain into a tall glass. Top with soda water and allow to settle and froth, then carefully pour more soda to lift the foam above the rim of the glass. Hold on tight.

explore more: