Understand what types of ice are for drinks and how to incorporate them into your drink repertoire!
If you are a good drink lover like me, you must certainly be interested in the subject of how to make ice, many think that you just put water in a form, leave it in the freezer for a few hours and that’s it. Just add the cubes to your drink and that’s it. Ice is ice, right?
Not exactly.
This may be a common thought in many people’s minds, but it doesn’t reflect the reality of mixology. Experts say that, yes, ice greatly influences the drinking experience.
Why is ice for drinks important?
Each drink has its specific profile. This means that, in order to achieve the best possible flavor and aroma, drinks require certain preparation conditions.
Alchemy experts say that what really influences is the contact surface by weight of the ice inside the glass. Also, the larger the size of ice for drinks, the slower its melting process.
There are cocktails that must have their flavor slightly weakened or others in which the taste characters must maintain the intensity of the original taste. In order to achieve any of these things, ice plays a very important role.
Ice is considered the soul of a cocktail. It is a universal ingredient used in bars all over the world, with enough potential to enhance or even spoil a drink.
Not to mention that nobody likes hot drinks, right? A cold drink is always better!
If you want to become the official bartender at your family’s parties or your group of friends, knowing all the secrets for preparing a good drink is essential, including the material you will use to make the ice.
Check out all the types you can use below:
Ice cubes
Practical and traditional, ice cubes are easy to incorporate into different types of drinks. Great for alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, such as juices and soft drinks. And the ice mold needs to be made of silicone so that the cubes come out more easily, in addition to being reusable.
The larger the cube, the greater its surface area. That is, melting is entirely dependent on size. So, for an Old Fashioned whiskey (with bitters for cocktails and orange), for example, the ideal is a single very large cube, since the intention is to maintain the strength of the flavor.
Ice block
Drink ice packs are usually handled by professional bartenders as they are quite large. It is common to see those who work with drinks create other types of ice from the blocks, with the crusher as the main tool, in addition to being added to countless drinks, the ice block also serves as raw material for artists, who build beautiful sculptures!
Nowadays we have many options of custom silicone molds on the market, which helps us to have more diversity when preparing our drinks.
Snowball
The ice ball was born in Japanese bars, and has become something of a key ingredient for establishments in Japan. The purpose of the ball is to maintain the original flavor of the distillate until the end, in addition to having a longer shelf life than conventional cubes.
This is one of the most recent trends in the world of mixology, and it has captured the hearts of consumers across the globe.
Ice form material is IMPORTANT!
Now that you know the importance of ice for drinks and what types you can add to your cocktails, it’s time to choose the material for your ice cube tray, the answer is: Silicone.
Silicone is one of the most malleable materials on the market today, the durability is absolutely great, today we have many companies that make silicone feeding sets, which include ice molds, it is worth investing in this material.
How about opting for a good drink with gin to taste in the comfort of your home or even to give as a gift to that special person? Knowing the importance of the correct use of ice, it is easier to prepare amazing drinks.
