Ice cubes are the necessary Bar Tools to make a cocktail! Many people may think that making ice cubes is as simple as filling an ice tray with water and placing it in a cooler to freeze. However, if you need to make truly delicious ice for your cocktails, you need to accomplish much more than that. Ice is probably the most overlooked ingredient in any cocktail recipe, but on the other hand, it’s vital to keep the drink cool and sweet. Therefore, this guide will provide you with tips on the best way to make ice for your cocktails.
What is Craft Ice?
Craft ice is specially crafted ice for cocktails, usually made from pure, unadulterated water, which is clear and melts slowly. It is designed to optimally cool and dilute the drink, and can improve the drinking experience. It is important to note that the larger the ice, the slower it will melt. Slower melting ice means that there is very little water in the cocktail and its flavor is not as diluted. If the glass has a larger ice to liquid ratio, it causes the drink to chill quickly.
Tools Necessary to Make Ice Cubes
Kitchenette towels
Food safety ruler
Serrated bread knife
Food safety chisels
Rubber mallet
Heavy Cutting Gloves
Three-claw ice axe
Paring Knife
How to Make Ice Cubes
- First to get clear ice, you need to make distilled water first, you need pure water with mineral deposits and tiny debris removed through the distillation process.
- Next you need to expel the air from the ice. When water freezes, the tiny air bubbles trapped in the ice cause it to become cloudy and this cloudy ice also melts easily. So in order to expel the air from the ice, the water needs to be boiled, whether it is tap water or distilled water.
- Pour the boiled distilled water into a standard ice cube tray and place it in the refrigerator, or if there is enough room in the refrigerator, place a cooler. Open the lid of the cooler and freeze in the refrigerator to allow the water to freeze, which usually takes one to three days, depending on the size of the cooler and the temperature of the refrigerator.
- If the bottom of the cooler is still liquid, the liquid needs to be drained, as it contains air bubbles and impurities.
How to Cut Ice
- The cooler can be allowed to sit for 30-60 minutes before sliding out the ice.
- A cutting board can be placed under the sink to catch the ice, then the cooler can be inverted above the sink to release the ice.
- Under running hot water, use a knife to cut away some of the frozen ice, leaving only the clear ice. Then smooth out any jagged edges under running water.
- To cut the ice, first place the ice on a cutting board. You can use a serrated knife to first make a line 1-2 cm deep in the ice, then gently tap the knife with a mallet and pick to cut the ice into small, neat, clean pieces.
How to Store Ice Cubes
If you don’t need to use the ice immediately, you can store the ice in a self-sealing bag in your refrigerator. A layer of frost will form on the outside of the stored ice cubes, so if when you next decide to use the ice cubes, just let the frost melt and become clear again when the ice cubes reach a certain temperature on the counter.
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