It doesn't matter what you're drinking. If there's ice in your glass, it's holding all the power. Those little frozen cubes (or shards, or shavings) can make the difference between a perfectly chilled, flavorful cocktail and a watery waste of good liquor. Once you've chosen your spirits and picked out a recipe, it's time to reconsider your rocks.
The rise of the mixologist in recent years has ushered in a new era of hand-carved ice, glass-sized cylinders engineered to cool and dilute drinks at the perfect rate. But you don't have to be a full-on frozen water enthusiast to get your hands on the right cubes -- with just a few tips, you too can stop bad ice from ruining great cocktails.
Cocktail
Consider the cocktail (or spirit). The purpose of the ice in the drink will determine the best sort to use. If you're enjoying a spirit straight, and your goal is to enjoy the liquor in all of its purity, you'll want to choose cubes that offer limited surface area -- a few large, hard frozen, uniform blocks as opposed to a glassfull of oddly-shaped smaller ones -- to ensure that you can finish the drink before the ice has melted. Scotch or other dark spirit drinkers (or anyone else looking for a cold drink with no dilution) can opt out of ice altogether, and select whiskey stones instead.
Colder is better. Conversations about ice are often eye-roll-inducing, typically because of comments like this one. But it's true: adding wet, already-melting ice to your drink is essentially like adding water right away. If you've mixed a perfect cocktail and want to keep it as is, don't add ice that's already halfway back to liquid. For cocktail parties at home, keep your ice in the freezer as long as possible, not in an icebucket at the bar.
Keep it fresh. Believe it or not, ice gets old in a hurry. It may stay frozen for months on end, but after just a few weeks in the freezer, it picks up the flavors and aromas of anything nearby. Protect your drink from tasting like salmon filets or even just like the freezer itself by replacing your cubes on a regular basis.
Know Your Ice Types.
Cracked -- Great for mixed drinks that need a fast chill and good stir. Crack larger ice cubes by tapping them on a hard surface with a spoon.
Crushed -- Appropriate for mojitos and mint juleps, crushed ice is great for when dilution is a desireable result -- a little melt-off helps soften very strong flavors. To crush ice at home without a blender or ice-o-matic, place cubes in a plastic bag, wrap it in a towel, and tap with a hammer until you're left with shards.
Cubed -- Look for cocktail-specific ice trays that make ice cubes into, well, actual cubes; the larger the better. Achieve clearer pieces by using hot filtered water at the outset. For larger cubes to use for Scotch or other spirits, freeze water in small Picardie tumblers or jelly glasses, running hot water over the outside of the glass once frozen to release the large cylinder of ice.
Comments
Spear
appreciated learning my ice types. i love when i find a bar that serves there cocktails with huge perfectly cubed ice. but now i can try this at home too; thanks for the tips!
Jun 25, 2010 at 12:46 PM
Thanks for the information, but what kind of water should be used?
Jun 25, 2010 at 3:08 PM
James
I used to geek out on ice cubes, and really liked the theory behind large spherical "cubes":
- spheres minimize surface area for any given object
- larger size minimizes surface area, relative to volume
That said, its not easy to make a spherical ice cubs, but here are a few choices:
- http://laughingsquid.com/glace-luxu...
Buy them at $8 per cube!
- http://www.japantrends.com/perfect-...
Japanese Ice Mold, which makes perfect spheres in the comfort of your own home (only $170) - think of it this way, its cheaper than 20 of the balls from the above link!
- http://www.momastore.org/museum/mom...
For us mere mortals, the MOMA set is only $20ish, and will do the job well enough.
Jun 25, 2010 at 6:43 PM
just read a cool tip on broken secrets (great site) to boil water first to get crystal clear cubes.
http://brokensecrets.com/2009/12/24...
best ice i ever had also came with the best cocktails i've ever had, Milk & Honey in NYC.
Jun 28, 2010 at 8:58 AM
Queen
My favourite ICED drink is N'ICEWINE slushies, developed by The Ice House WInery on Niagara on the Lake this simple cocktail has two ingredients; equal parts of crushed ice and Norhern Ice Vidal Icewine. This toasting style of Icewine has an explosive flavour and a balance of sweet and acidity that creates that most refreshing drink of the summer with a real WOW factor
Jul 21, 2010 at 7:58 AM
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