Back in the day, cocktails were prepared with CHIPPED, CRACKED OR
CRUSHED ICE. Even as late as the ’70s, bars typically carried both cubed and
crushed ice in the bartender’s station. BUT AS JULEPS, FRAPPES AND
SMASHES SLIPPED FROM THE LIMELIGHT, SO DID THE NEED FOR
STOCKING CRUSHED ICE BEHIND THE BAR. The Tiki revival underway
has changed that.
ing fewer large-format cubes
presents less surface area
and results in slower dilution.
I recommend making drinks
with 1.25-inch cubes, espe-
cially those from Kold-Draft or
Hoshizaki machines. They’re
produced to be dense and
slow melting.”
Casey also prefers working
with larger ice. “I think the
square cubes from Kold-Draft
are superior. They’re perfectly
clear, uniformly shaped and,
because of their density, they
melt slower and cool faster.”
Long a staple in Japan, ice
balls are gaining popularity
behind American bars and
are seemingly the perfect
marriage of form and function.
Made on-premise in molds or
carved individually, they look
like clear spheres between
3 and 5 inches in diameter.
Their singular shape allows
them to melt at a slower rate,
thus reducing dilution.
Journalist Yuri Kato is
the author of the recently
published book, Japanese
Cocktails. “In Japan, we carve
ice balls out of mineral water
using an ice pick or knife. In
fact, to become a member of
the national bartenders asso-
ciation of Japan, a bartender
must be able to quickly carve
a perfect ice ball. Japanese
people appreciate the ice ball
when sipping whisky. It keeps
the whisky at a steady tem-
perature for about an hour.”
Peek likes using ice balls
when serving cocktails on the
rocks. “Since it is round, the
corners don’t melt, leaving
the first sip as cold as the
last. They’re crystal clear, look
sexy and last a long time. In
a recent cocktail competition,
I presented my entry with an
ice ball to ensure it wasn’t
watered down by the time it
made it to the judges’ table.”
Retro Chillers
Back in the day, cocktails
were prepared with chipped,
cracked or crushed ice. Even
as late as the ’70s, bars typically carried both cubed and
crushed ice in the bartender’s
station. But as Juleps,
Frappes and Smashes slipped
from the limelight, so did the
need for stocking crushed ice
behind the bar. The Tiki revival
underway has changed that.
“Tiki drinks are those popu-
larized after Repeal through
the 1950s and ’60s,” says
Pogash. “Luminaries such as
‘Trader’ Vic Bergeron knew that
crushed ice created a massively
cold drink and that people
in the tropical South Pacific
needed more help beating the
heat than anyone else.”
Crushed ice’s cooling abilities
result from having more sur-
face area than any other form
of ice, second only to shaved
ice. Adds Magarian, “Crushed
ice is perfect for making Tiki
drinks. Not only does it make
them cold, but they’re potent
drinks, so the extra dilution is
an advantage.”
While the cocktail may reign
supreme, ice appears to be
the power behind the throne.
As Pogash says, “You’ve
walked into a place that cares
about their drinks when you
see the proper ice being
plopped, dropped, chipped or
cracked into your glass.” NCB
for School
