Make a Wish

“If you are a dreamer come in.

If you are a dreamer a wisher a liar
A hoper a pray-er a magic-bean-buyer
If you’re a pretender come sit by my fire
For we have some flax golden tales to spin
Come in!
Come in!”
― Shel Silverstein

Japanese Karakuri Creation Group artist Yoh Kakuda weaves marvelous tales in wood. Each wonderful creation tells a story, but some are simply more magical. Kakuda invented a tale about a mythical fish with golden scales, who is said to jump into the night sky on the eve of the full moon, dropping a few scales into the sea and following their path with his eyes. The scales offer enchantment and “It is said that those who wear the scales will be protected from bad luck even if they leave the town.” Kakuda created an automaton a few years ago named “Fisherman’s Dream” which depicted this story. The old fisherman’s dream is “to catch a golden fish. He goes out every night to catch it, but the fish never appears. ‘If I catch the fish, I'll make a necklace with the shining scales for you.’” Turning the handle of the automaton causes the fisherman to cast his fishing pole again and again, unaware of the magical fish hiding out of reach which opens and closes its mouth.

The story is really a metaphor of life and death. Those who leave the town are the souls who have died, and the fisherman is an intermediary, a benevolent spirit straddling the worlds, offering protection and safe passage to the next life. “The man watches over them when they leave the town. And he wants to give them the golden scales if he can.” Kakuda had wanted to remake the automaton into a Karakuri box and spent two years reworking the idea, adding little details to the work to enhance the deeper sentiment of the tale. The fisherman’s companion, for example, is a little ferret who was the dear pet of a good friend. The ferret died last year, and is memorialized here as a ghost companion for the living fisherman, a balance of life and death. The town seen in silhouette along one side is also like a dream, a town between life and death. The lighthouse is a favorite theme of Kakuda’s, representing the way forward, a guiding beam of light in the dark stretching between the worlds.

The details on the box are exquisite, including the charming fisherman and ferret, but of course highlighted by the centerpiece giant carved fish. Kakuda mentions that it was difficult to select exactly what kind of fish to create, referencing several illustrated books and ancient fish before deciding on the final look, and that carving reliefs in the wood turned out to be fun. The mechanics of the box are also impressive, and expertly hidden in plain sight. Kakuda is a master of disguise and admits that hiding the mechanism was a particular challenge, mitigating wood warp and even using a planer for the first time in a while. Once the secret is found, the box comes alive in the most delightful way before opening, and you almost forget the melancholy sentiments of mourning the story conveys. It’s a beautiful creation, one of Kakuda’s finest ever.

Be silent in that solitude, 

Which is not loneliness—for then

The spirits of the dead who stood

In life before thee are again

In death around thee—and their will

Shall overshadow thee: be still.

- Spirits of the Dead, Edgar Allen Poe

Let’s raise some spirits in the spirit of these spirits, shall we? This perfect pairing comes from Nashville bartender Kenneth Vanhooser, who appropriately got his start learning the delicate art of the Japanese cocktail with New York’s Shinya Yamao. Japanese cocktails are a serious affair, and Vanhooser explains the sentiment: “You show a certain respect to the cocktail you're working with, which shows respect to the people drinking that cocktail.” He brought that respect and his incredibly creativity to Le Loup in Nashville where he oversees a robust and inventive bar program.

His “Spirits of the Dead” cocktail plays on the Negroni in unusual ways with a combined base of blended scotch and cognac, balanced with both bitter Campari and coffee amaro. A hint of sweet honey scotch is then offset by a hint of peaty, smoky scotch. It’s a truly intriguing and beguiling drink, named after a 1968 horror film of the same name. An anthology of three short stories by Edgar Allen Poe, the movie was directed by legendary filmmakers including Louis Malle and Federico Fellini, and had an all star cast including Jane Fonda and Bridget Bardot. Poe had his own unique way of channeling the spirits in his stories, and the drink is a fitting tribute. Here’s to the spirit world, may their souls rest in peace.

Spirits of the Dead by Kenneth Vanhooser

1 oz blended scotch

¾ oz VS cognac

½ oz Campari

¼ oz coffee amaro

¼ oz Benedictine

¼ oz Islay scotch

Absinthe rinse

Lime twist for oil

Stir ingredients together with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Express the lime peel over the drink and garnish with a twist of salt water taffy, or in this case a fishing pole hooked on a fish frozen in the ice.

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