Walter’s Radio

For those of you following along with the robot wars saga (i.e. the “robopocalypse”), there has been a development. Apparently some brave soldiers were not humanity’s most clever, pardon me for saying, and fell prey to what has been described as a “Walter Falter”. Incomplete removal of Angry Walter’s cold fusion generator fuel cell in many robots was exploited and the robot army grew. As they advanced in numbers around the globe, the robots created an equally advanced communication system, utilizing dimensional wormholes networked together via a tiny electronic chip. Ironically, despite all of this advanced and other-worldly technology, the chips were housed and utilized inside a very old-fashioned appearing field radio. Go figure. Humans have intercepted a few of these, and are now struggling mightily to unlock their secrets.

Walter’s Radio is an incredibly fitting sequel to Dee Dixon’s smash success Angry Walter, a puzzle which many felt was his best work to date. Dee is masterful at creating intricate puzzles with fairly simple mechanics, which are somehow not at all simple to discern once they are hidden from view. The radio is another new tack for Dee, who enjoys playing with the form and format for his beautifully crafted wood puzzles and puzzle boxes. Radio has a very straightforward primary objective, which is not at all straightforward to achieve. Doing so will require quite a lot of thinking outside the box, and use of a crazy idea that actually works. It will also require trust in the designer, knowing he is so skilled at making things that will always work properly, and that have an elegant solution, despite your own desperation and conviction that something must be wrong. Once the primary objective has been achieved, Dee has added a few more steps to continue the journey, until you discover, at last, the mysterious “chip”.

Dee explains the journey: “Like most of my puzzles, Walter’s Radio ended up very different than when I started. I wanted to make a puzzle where you can see the trapped piece, but not touch it and then [description of something …]. When I finished that, I realized it was far too easy. With every iteration I added another step. The more I added to it, the more it started to look like an old-time transistor radio, so I just went with it. After about 25-30 steps I figured it was complex enough to satisfy most puzzlers. Angry Walter already had a back story, so integrating this puzzle into that story felt like a natural process while keeping the story alive. Battling the bad guys is a noble endeavor, and who doesn’t want to steal Walter’s radio and use it against him?” Indeed having a backstory and theme for a puzzle can often add to the enjoyment and feeling that there is a tangible goal and journey. Radio needs no story to be an incredibly clever, challenging, surprising and enjoyable puzzle box experience, but the story adds to the fun. I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping the robot wars saga has a few more episodes in store.

The story behind this radio is also at the heart of the cocktail toast. Walter’s Radio is a piece of stolen intel which is used by the rebel alliance against the evil empire (so to speak). In other words, it’s a pirate radio. The drink was created by New York City bartender Jason Walsh, who has helmed the bar at many fine establishments in the city over the past two decades and more and used to run the website “cocktail logic”. His cocktail appears to have grown wings and continues to fly under the radar, emerging now and then on various sites over the past few years. Boston bartender Fred Yarm featured it on his feed last year, commenting on its “earthy, floral and herbal bouquet”.

A few years before that, my friends from Stockholm at Cocktail Detour, whom I have partnered with on cocktail pairings in the past, featured the drink as well. It seems that many have pirated this pineapple potion, and for good reason. Plantation pineapple rum is simply outstanding, and any well made drink with it as a star ingredient is pretty good in my book. The balance of bold and mild herbal liqueurs and aperitifs here compliment the rum just right and make this drink one to remember. Go ahead and pirate one for yourself, and be sure to exploit it for the common good. Cheers!

Pirate Radio by Jason Walsh

1 ½ oz pineapple rum (Plantation)

1 oz Cocchi Americano

½ oz Green Chartreuse

½ oz Suze

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Original garnish is an “edible orchid” per Walsh.

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