LCPP - Part VIII

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

And burbled as it came!

- Lewis Carroll

Kagen Sound is a full time artist from Colorado who is world renown for his award winning complex secret opening boxes and gorgeous woodwork. He holds a mathematics degree and typically applies those principles to his work, which is famous for its use of geometric patterns that shift and change in surprising, elegant and beautiful ways. Many of his boxes and larger furniture pieces feature many moving parts with fine wood inlay. As the moving panels are shifted or turned, tessellations and patterns emerge from the inlay. These patterns are often crucial to unlocking the secrets of the piece. For his contribution to the Lewis Carroll Puzzle Project he wanted something different.

From Kagen: “I chose the Mad Hatter because I felt the box needed a literal object to connect it to the story. Using literal objects in my work is something I have rarely done in the past. It makes for connecting more of a story or riddle to the piece. I tend to keep my work rooted in the abstract and give clues through the geometry of the design. Creating the hat was a nice new challenge for me in this project. I really wanted the hat to be a reward in solving the box.”

The outward appearance of the box gives no clues as to what awaits inside. It’s simply a beautiful cube made from a few of Sound’s favorite woods, Walnut and Maple, and finished with the usual polish and gloss he applies that is often reserved for fine musical instruments. But the Hatter’s famous hat plays a central role here. Kagen recounts a rare glimpse into his personal life about it. “It reminded me of a time in my life when I was around 20 and I loved to go swing dancing with friends. We got dressed up every time we went out and I sported a classic Fedora hat. I'm not one to dress up often, but it felt good to do this and socialize with friends every week. I miss it. I wanted the hat to be the main attraction to the box and I informed the look of it from the iconic images we all see of the Hatter from the story.” He incorporates this element in a very satisfying way and hides a few tricky secrets which need to be discovered. My hat's off to this one.

As anyone with even the slightest knowledge of the book Alice in Wonderland knows, we are introduced to the Mad Hatter at a tea party where he is presiding. Naturally, any cocktail in homage to this insane anti-hero should be tea based or at the least have a tea infusion. For the Jabberwock cocktail variation on this theme I chose to infuse the classic gin base with an acerbic and wildly colorful tea, which seemed just right for this character. Hibiscus has a vibrant magenta pop and a tart bite to it. The best gin to use here should shy away from the traditional London dry, juniper heavy style, which would overwhelm the hibiscus.

I must be mad but I couldn’t stop there. In place of the sherry found in the original recipe, I used another fortified wine – madeira. Madeira is produced specifically on its namesake islands off of Portugal. It is distinct among the category of fortified wines (wines that have added distilled grape spirits to fortify / preserve them) due to how the historic trade routes necessitated the wine be shipped in casks through the tropics on route to international ports. This significantly effected the flavor. The journey caused a heat aging reaction that is now replicated through a process called “estufagem”. Gesundheit! Like sherry, madeira can range from dry to sweet. I used the sweet Malvasia (or Malmsey, Doce) style here to compliment the acidic and tart hibiscus flavors. Put it all in a tea cup and ponder the eternal question, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” – cheers!

The Hatter’s Box

1 oz hibiscus tea infused gin

1 oz sweet madeira

1 oz Caperitif

2 d orange bitters

Stir ingredients together with ice and strain into a tea cup. Garnish with an orange peel hat.

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