We are going back to Cuba again here on B+B.  In July, 2015, the United States and Cuba resumed diplomatic relations after over 50 years of silence.  Perhaps this year we will see the long standing embargoes lifted.  Time will tell, as they say, but rather than wait, let’s get puzzling.

Japanese master Yoshio Okiyama, was a third generation secret-box maker who was taught by his father, Yoshitaro Okiyama, who in turn was taught by his father, Tatsunosuke Okiyama, one of the 3 original founders of this art form dating back to sometime after 1870.

Aloha from paradise.  For this week’s installment, Boxes and Booze has gone on location.  It was time to discuss another one of master puzzle maker Perry McDaniel’s fine confectionery creations, the “Hawaiian Hijinks Cake”.  In order to fully appreciate the puzzling nature of this finely crafted delicacy I felt compelled to seek out its inspirational source.

Would you like to hear a secret?  Who doesn’t like to be in on a good secret?  Mysteries, codes, hidden treasures, all excite because in part they hold a secret which we might be able to access, if we are clever enough.  The allure of the puzzle box relies on the secret, on knowing there is a hidden way in, and on finding it if we can.

Get ready to exercise both sides of your brain for this installment.  You’ll need the logical left side and the artistic right side to fully appreciate this particular puzzle pair pairing and potion pair pairing, and puzzle and potion pairing.

Lest I be made to walk the plank for insubordination, I present the Pirates Box by Tatsuo Miyamoto of the Karakuri Creation Group. He explains that a pirate ship wharf mural on the wall of the new Sekisyo Karakuri Art Museum in Hakone Japan, the home of the Karakuri group, inspired him to create this puzzle box.

It was recently “National Book Lover’s Day” (Aug 9), which surely deserves a mention. Reading and sharing good books is a big part of what we love in the boxes and booze household. Here’s a book which might keep you up at night, just trying to open it!

What happens when a fine furniture maker decides to make a puzzle box? The “Woodwink” puzzle box is a beautiful piece of woodwork designed and crafted by Australian artisan Peter Cook in his shop, Scarab Wood Studio.

We need to spend a little time discussing the daiquiri. I'm sure everyone realizes that today, July 19, is National Daiquiri Day. You've had it marked on your calendar for months.

Sometimes the box begets the cocktail, and sometimes it’s the other way around. The Old Cuban Cocktail is a modern classic, and is also one of my wife’s all-time favorite drinks.