There’s an interesting correlate to the Pandora’s Box that always makes me think of cocktails, believe it or not. In the original Greek myth of Pandora, she opens a jar of spirits, not a box. This of course makes much more sense as amphora and pottery were the norm in ancient Greece. Inside her jar were all manner of misery and evil, but also hope, which remained. Pandora’s jar of spirits always makes me think it must really have been a jar of spirits – of the alcoholic kind. What a perfect metaphor for wine, that liquor of misery, evil and hope.

There are actually two classic cocktails that I know of named for Hands – the Left Hand and the Right Hand. These are subtle variations on the theme of a Negroni, made with rum or bourbon rather than gin and with a dash of chocolate bitters. I wrote about them a while back, coincidentally with another Stickman collaboration exchange puzzle called the Ambidextrous Hexduos. Since these were previously taken, I already had my hands full, so to speak. So I decided to toast the One Hand Box with something crafted in the spirit of the box. It had to be simple in concept, lovely to look at, delicious, and easy enough to make with one hand. It also needed to be low in alcohol content (low “alcohol by volume”) so it could be enjoyed all day long. One of the easiest low ABV cocktails around is the Campari and soda – simply add soda water to a bit of Campari in an ice filled glass. So easy! Of course, this is a Stickman box, so I also added some premade pineapple margarita mix (pineapple juice, lime juice, simple syrup, requiring both hands … is that cheating?). I couldn’t resist a few dashes of Stickman bitters on top, because, why not, and it still only took one hand. Cheers Rob, and here’s to you, Asher.

One Hand

1 oz Campari

2 oz pineapple lime simple syrup mix

4 oz soda water

2 dashes aromatic bitters

Assemble ingredients sequentially in a glass filled with ice, using only one hand.