LCPP - Part X

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

- Lewis Carroll

Canadian cinematographer Peter Wiltshire is an incredibly creative and artistic individual. As a hobbyist woodworker, he has nonetheless created a few incredibly professional and award winning puzzle box designs over the years. When he decides to make something new, you can bet it will be incredible. His contribution to the Lewis Carroll Puzzle Project is based on an idea from the stories, rather than a specific character. From Peter: “Growing up I was aware of Lewis Carroll’s stories and I liked the escapism and creativeness of the story telling. So when I was approached to work on a collaborative chest project themed on Lewis Carroll’s stories I was eager to become a participant. Early in the design process all the participating craftsmen were given the chance to choose a theme for their puzzle box from the Alice In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass stories. I chose the theme of travelling down the rabbit-hole for my puzzle box. I particularly liked that it was a chapter title in the Alice In Wonderland story and I liked the idea of a solver needing to travel down the rabbit hole to solve the mystery of the puzzle box.”

Peter had a lot of ideas about how to bring the theme to life inside a small, tangible object. “I was fascinated with attempting to create a puzzle box that had a rabbit hole which appeared larger than the box itself, and I pondered incorporating an infinity mirror system which would allow the solver to peer down this hole that didn’t seem to end. I quickly realized that in order to make a realistic effect of an endless hole I would have to incorporate electronics and led lighting to make the effect work the way I wanted. … [Ultimately] I decided to walk away from the concept of an infinity mirror and turn the design in a new direction.

I still wanted to create a puzzle box with a hole design so I sketched up a diminishing hole that incorporated two contrasting woods and decided to craft a spiral pattern around the hole. I played with a few different ideas to see what I could do with the bottom of the hole and even tried inlaying the top of a rabbit so when you looked into the hole you saw rabbit ears.  I tossed around several ideas and eventually chose to use inlay to incorporate a little bit of trompe l'oeil in the design to make the hole appear deeper than it really was.”

The effect is mesmerizing and draws you into the box immediately, both literally and figuratively, as a rabbit hole should. But the puzzle is so much more complex, and hides many secrets. “Years previous I had done some research about a maze that Oskar van Deventer had created that he coined a Hysteresis Maze. This was a maze that would allow or restrict a solvers movements based on what previous moves they had made. I really like the concept and pondered if that idea was something that I could incorporate into a puzzle box.  Down The Rabbit-Hole was very well suited for the concept and I was excited to incorporate it into the design, but the real challenge was how to physically craft it.

So this is when I decided to add a new toy to my workshop and purchased a CNC.  I chose an Omio X4 800L CNC and placed my order.  This purchase would lead me down my own rabbit hole as I had to quickly learn the new world of CNC programming and how to use the CNC to craft the special mechanics I would need in the puzzle box design. Luckily the CNC was a perfect fit for my workshop and was more than up to the challenge of helping me craft the components.  Along with my table saw I now consider the CNC one of the most useful tools in the workshop for puzzle box projects.” Peter is a true hero for sacrificing so much of his sanity in the pursuit of this perfect puzzle box, don’t you think? But then again, we’re all mad here.

In crafting the cocktails for this special series and developing variations around the theme of the original Jabberwock Cocktail from Harry Craddock’s 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, I knew I would make at least one version with bourbon rather than gin. The specific cocktail that would use it was actually determined by the bourbon itself, from a storied and award winning distillery called “Rabbit Hole”. The story of the distillery is one of a modern love affair with bourbon of it’s founder, who fell down his own rabbit hole to pursue a passion for making the best whiskey he could make. He succeeded with a series of distinctive super-premium bourbons which have gone on to win spirits awards and even earn the distinction of being the only James Beard designated bourbon on the market.

Rabbit Hole Hiegold, named after Kentucky bourbon pioneer from 1840, is a rye heavy spirit rich in toasted malt, baking spice, butterscotch and citrus flavors. At 95 proof it brings a bold heat and spice to a cocktail. In addition to the sweeter Oloroso sherry, I added a touch of brown sugar syrup sweetness to cut the heat and round out the flavors. The Caperitif vermouth in the classic Jabberwock was also too soft to hold up to this bourbon on its own; what was needed was a more bitter amaro to properly balance the drink. After some experimentation I selected Gran Classico from Tempus Fugit Spirits, a bitter aperitif liqueur based on a recipe from Turin, Italy dating to 1860, with bittersweet flavors of citrus, gentian, rhubarb and vanilla. The final drink is a potent potion which tempts you to “drink me” – cheers!

Down the Rabbit Hole

1 oz Rabbit Hole Hiegold

1 oz Oloroso

½ oz Caperitif

½ oz Gran Classico

2 d orange bitters

1 tsp demerara syrup

Stir with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Garnish with a lime wheel pocket watch.

Read about the entire series:

And for more from this artist: