The Importance of Ice

- Ice is Important!

Cocktails would be nothing without ice. Ice is included to almost every cocktail. It not only chills but as it warms it becomes part of the drink. It is for this reason that it deserves some attention.

 

Types of Ice

There are 4 standard forms of ice. Cube, Cracked, Shaved and Block – each has its own use.

Ice Cubes

Good for almost all cocktails – for shaking, on the rocks, stirring and soft drinks.
The larger and thicker an area is makes the cube melt slower and makes the drink less diluted. Good practise & Best results - fill the shaker or glass two thirds full.

To make ice cubes into cracked or crushed ice all you need to do is grab a clean towel, wrap it round the cubes, then grab a muddler and give them a good bashing

 

Cracked Ice

Smaller than ice cubes, it melts faster and adds more water to the drinks. This is usually good for frozen drinks as it wont clog the blender. Good for drinks such as Daiquiri or Margarita

Shaved Ice

This is what you typically find in Slushie machines, the very fine ice that can be used to make a thick, cold, Slushie Cocktail.

Block Ice

Many moons ago all bartenders used to start with a big block of ice and would carve this up to make smaller chunks for drinks. Luckily we don’t have to do this anymore.
Today they are used for chilling Punch and in very specialist venues such.

Making the Best Ice

The cleaner the water is the cleaner the ice will be. Start by freezing the water you would drink ie distiller, purified, natural spring or bottled, just not tap water!

Keep your ice fresh through stock rotation and don’t store it near any foodstuffs to avoid bad taste in the drinks.

 

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