| TIPS FROM THE PROS |

BY MELISSA DOWLING

Whether shaken or stirred , cocktail ice is key to a drink ’ s temperature , dilution , flavor and presentation . The ice cubes from your freezer will work just fine , but with some different ice molds , tools and techniques , you can elevate your cocktails significantly .

Just as different cocktails call for different glasses , most drinks are best when served with a particular type of ice . Here are some of the basic types of bar ice and how to create them at home .

CUBES .

As noted above , the cubes from your basic ice tray or freezer icemaker will do . An ice mold that makes 1-in . square cubes yields perfect , all-purpose cubes that fit well and look good in the glass and provide adequate dilution of the drink . For a larger cube and less dilution ( and more impact ), you can use a 2-in . ice mold .

SPHERES .

Large ice balls also slow the dilution and amp up the drink ’ s presentation . Spheres are general used in spirit-forward stirred drinks such as a Negroni or most anything served on the rocks . You can buy sphere ice molds at most home goods stores . You may want to make a bunch of spheres in advance if you ’ ll be making a lot of drinks .

SPEARS . Ice spears , also called shards , cylindrical ice or Collins ice , go in tall drinks such as a Tom Collins or Gin and Tonic . The icicle-like spears look impressive and keep the drink chilled with slower dilution , but they ’ re probably not necessary unless you really want to make a statement with your long drinks .

PEBBLE ICE .

This is essentially crushed or shaved ice , or sort of in between crushed and cubed ice . This type of ice is typically used for Tiki drinks , Juleps and Swizzles ; though the pieces of ice are smaller , when densely packed into a glass they become insulated and keep the drink cold .

If your refrigerator doesn ’ t have an icemaker that dispenses crushed ice , you can easily make your own pebble ice by wrapping cold , dry ice cubes in a dish towel and hitting them with a wooden mallet , muddler or meat tenderizer . Craft bartenders often use a Lewis bag — a canvas bag or money sack with a folding flap or tie — to contain the ice cubes while they smash them into pebbled pieces .

ICE BLOCKS .

Serious craft bartenders will freeze large blocks of ice and carve off shapes with an ice pick or serrated knife . But for most of us , ice blocks are best suited for punch bowls : They look fun and chill the punch slowly .

You can buy molds to make blocks or ice , or you can make your own : Cut the top off an empty , clean milk or juice carton and use it to freeze a block or ice .

Ice rings , made with a Jello mold or Bundt cake pan , also work well to chill bowls of punch . You can also add sliced fruit or herb sprigs that will complement the punch to the water before freezing for an ice ring with flavorful flair .

12 | SUMMER 2022 • CHEERS @ HOME WWW . CHEERSONLINEATHOME . COM