Ship Shape

President’s Order

Presidents Order by Tyler Williams

According to the Federal Register, “The President of the United States manages the operations of the Executive branch of Government through Executive orders.” On June 8, 1779, George Washington issued the first such “president’s order” in United States history, when he sent this letter to acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs John Jay, along with copies to the Secretary of War, the Board of Treasury and the Postmaster General.

It said: “For this purpose I wish to receive in writing such a clear account of the Department at the head of which you have been, as may be sufficient (without overburdening or confusing a mind which has very many objects to claim its attention at the same instant) to impress me with a full, precise & distinct general idea of the United States, so far as they are comprehended in, or connected with that Department.” Essentially, he was asking for an accounting of the state of affairs in his new government. Why he had to order everyone to tell him is, shall we say, a puzzle.

Tyler Williams, of Beard’s Woodshop Company, is familiar with puzzles too, and has been making them for a few years now. One of his most recent works sets sail in a new direction while staying true to a few of his favorite themes. “Presidents order has something I never put into a puzzle before. A cipher.” Tyler has built a ship of Purple Heart, Cherry, Walnut, Maple, Paduak, and Dyed Burl, along with metal and brass, and on orders from the President your task is to find the treasure and hoist the sail high.

“I have always been fascinated with pirate’s treasure. The ideas I create always come from different mechanisms I thought would be cool to see if I ever found a treasure chest or a pirate’s valuables. After finishing Presidents Order I wanted to give the ship a name. First, Franklins Cruise, which is my son’s middle name, passed  on for 5 generations. I wanted to have a second version as a different color, and what better than to have my daughter’s middle name (Grace) - Waves of Grace.” President’s Order is particularly special for Tyler as it combines these personal elements with many more puzzling steps than his typical creations in a fun themed and beautifully rendered piece. “All in all. This puzzle has my father as the logo in the sail and 2 children of the names. I feel like this is my best creation so far not only with the names but solve as well.”

El Presidente

Rum may have been the preferred tot of the British Navy, but I hear no complaints with raising our mugs of rum for this American toast, either. This specific rum tipple is a classic invented over one hundred years ago by Constantino Ribalaigua at a café off Havana’s Central Park where he served as head bartender. The first published recipe can be found in the Manual del Cantinero by John B. Escalante, 1915, which clearly predates the more common attribution to Eddie Woelke, an American bartender at the Jockey Club in Havana during the Prohibition era. The lore has it that the drink was ultimately named after Gerardo Machado, dictator of Cuba in the twenties, who was known as the “butcher” due to his missing finger, which he lost as a child while working in, you guessed it, a butcher shop. Hopefully that was the only meaning.

give it your vote

The El President is the Cuban version of the more famous Manhattan, that classic mix of rye and sweet vermouth. Rum replaces the rye, and dry vermouth the sweet. Because of this, a touch more sugar is added back with a dash of grenadine, the rich pomegranate syrup found in many old classics. Many iterations and versions of the cocktail can be found over time, some with added orange liqueur, some with sweet vermouth, and some with a splash of lime. Here I made Simon Difford, the well-known spirits writer’s version, which successfully marries all the variations into one glorious and well balanced cocktail. Set sail with one soon – President’s orders!

presidential pair

El Presidente (Difford’s Guide)

1 ½ oz gold rum

2/3 oz dry vermouth

½ oz Bianco vermouth

1/3 oz orange curacao

1/6 oz sweet vermouth

1/12 oz grenadine

4 drops bitters

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