Don’t Stop Me Now
Doog’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (DGHV1)
Doog’s Greatest Hits Vol. 1 by Doog Menzies
Greatest hits albums are like a mark of true success for a band, having produced enough chart toppers to justify such a compilation in the first place, then taking a victory lap by rereleasing those same songs on one amazing album. A quick Wikipedia search reveals that Eagles – Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) is the best selling album of all time in the US. There’s another beloved best seller in the UK that is also a favorite of some folks - DM me for more info. I’m sure we can argue about our favorite greatest hits albums, but how often do we see this idea in other forms of media or art? I can imagine a restaurant, for example, serving their greatest dishes from menus over time, but imagine a director making a new movie with elements from all the best films … that would be wild, and really confusing! How about a mechanical puzzle greatest hits, bringing the best tricks from past puzzles to create one epic piece? We saw this idea play out in Brian Young’s Big Baffling Bolt, and now we have one from Doog Menzies, with the tantalizing title of “Vol. 1” (which surely promises more to come). Doog recalls the journey to this collection of tricks.
somebody to love
“In the short time being involved with this community, I’ve had several long chats with some puzzle royalty. One topic is often prominent, that there are no new ideas. Perhaps the best an old dog can hope for is a new twist on a classic? Running with this concept, I decided to re-hash some of my previous successes and combine them in one box.
play the game
DGH Vol.1 started out as a celebration of my work to date. I had planned to steal mechanisms directly from my previous work but I immediately ran into trouble. I have designed and made far too many mechanisms to fit into a single box. Choosing a couple of key mechanisms that complimented each other was the route I took.
don’t stop me now!
As the design progressed, I realised that I had created some new trickery by interacting existing mechanisms. Even though there are glaring similarities with some of my older work, the final outcome is a puzzle box with a unique feel.
The teak I use to finish this box is a direct result of my engineering contract last year. The yacht I worked on was laying a new deck and I got on very well with the carpenters. After showing them several of my puzzle boxes, they were more than happy to put aside generously sized off-cuts for me.
A selection of teak after dimensioning - courtesy of Doog Menzies
This stuff is amazing to work with, the quality being obvious in the final look. This first time I used this teak was making a bespoke version of CH.13 for the yacht.
CH.13 in teak - courtesy of Doog Menzies
Tung oil makes the teak come alive - courtesy of Doog Menzies
I usually finish my boxes around a carcass of marine plywood and this box is no different. Not all plywood is created equal and I’d like to take the chance to chat a little on the subject. It is an engineered product whose final form out performs the composite parts. At the lower end of quality, plywood is nothing more than a strong panel used to make packing crates, but it comes in many grades. I choose a marine grade where the layers are hardwood and the glue is able to withstand moisture.
A few bottom shots - courtesy of Doog Menzies
It’s not exactly my signature look, but a lot of my boxes are veneered on five sides with the bottom exposed so you can see the plywood. I have come to love this look as my background in yachting allows me to see the beauty in the quality.
fat bottomed girl
My previous puzzle boxes have been a bit bigger and my one-off boxes even more so. I made an effort to reduce the overall size and got it down to L150mm x W95mm x H80mm. It’s hefty though (800grams) as it contains a fair amount of steel and aluminium.”
crazy little thing called Doug
DGHV1 is a handsome and hefty puzzle box, veneered in richly textured teak wood and finished in Tung oil which brings out the glow. Doog has managed to reduce the size of this box as well, so it feels really good in the hands as you explore the many interesting components on each side. It’s literally packed with mechanisms, which Doog characteristically makes out of steel and aluminum, so the compact box is really solid and heavy. Which all makes for a promising production, and Doog keeps the promise. DGHV1 is aptly titled. If you’ve solved any of his prior boxes, you may recognize a few familiar concepts, but nothing feels repetitive, obvious, or easy. Having solved his other boxes before did not seem to help. There are some great tricks that kept me confused and put a smile on my face once understood. This seemed to happen over and over, as each of the many steps are eventually navigated. The whole experience, including the brilliant finale, is hugely satisfying, in the way the best puzzle boxes can be. I’d say it lives up its name, and in so doing has become Doog’s best box yet.
NO. 1
Thinking about what to toast a greatest hits “box set” with led me to consider some of my own cocktail greatest hits. Granted, this is completely subjective and self defined, since I am likely the only person to have ever made most of my “greatest hits”! Then again, a selection of these greatest hits cocktails has been collected and published in an actual cocktail book, so that must mean something, right? Unless I self published that limited edition book, which definitely cancels any potential acclaim, but let’s not get distracted by these technicalities. Regardless of the incredible drinks, it is probably still the only cocktail book to include a surprise flip book animation that no one has ever noticed.
how to get to NO. 1
If I’m doing a greatest hits cocktail, it’s probably going to be a Negroni. I know what I like. One of the more clever creations I’ve come up with over the years, which I am not aware of elsewhere but must have surely been invented by someone else as well at some point, is the Negroni Old Fashioned. It’s an Old Fashioned (rye, sweetener, bitters) that is sweetened with a Negroni, by making a sugar syrup from a Negroni cocktail. It’s really good! To update the drink for this greatest hits tribute, I altered the base by adding a bit of mezcal to the rye, for an extra smoky accent that works nicely with the strong bitter flavors. I also skipped the sugar syrup and used a very sweet sherry as the vermouth component, which also works nicely. Since it’s a new update to the original idea, in keeping with the theme here, I gave it a new name, so this Negroni Old Fashioned is the “NO”. 1. I’ll have to include it in cocktail book Vol. 2. Cheers!
we are the champions
NO. 1
1 ½ oz rye
½ oz mezcal
½ oz Campari
½ oz PX sherry
Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite glass over a large cube. Orange twist.
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and another one bites the dust …