One essential element of a cocktail is the ice cubes. To most of us, little attention is given to how an ice cube appears, provided it serves its purpose. Ice cubes should be clear – not cloudy. Most people use filtered or boiled water to achieve this purpose, but the result is never as efficient. Below is how you can easily make crystal clear ice cubes at home.
What you need:
Now, there are products specifically for this purpose, though a bit over-priced in the market. But do not worry. Using these items give just similar results.
Time
Small cooler (with the lid taken off).
Serrated knife.
Mallet
How to:
The technique used is one known as directional freezing. The underlying principle here is that when water freezes, the impurities, which make the ice appear cloudy, form at the end of the freezing process. So, freezing from top to bottom (directional freeing) makes it easy for you to isolate the impurities before the process ends.
First, fill the small cooler with water.
Refrigerate for about 24 hours. Remember to leave the cooler open. The open top, together with the insulated sides of the cooler, ensures that freezing happens from top to bottom, making it easy to isolate impurities.
The water content in your cooler should only freeze around half way. Remember, impurities form at the end of the freezing process.
After freezing, empty the content of the cooler on a flat surface. On the bottom part, now at the top, get rid of the ice shell formed.
Next, run the clear ice block over some warm water to smoothen out the ages.
To make your squared ice cubes, use your serrated knife to cut a little slit on the surface.
Take the mallet and gently hummer on the serrated knife while on the ice surface.
Repeat this process to make even smaller blocks as desired. Longer blocks serve well in highball glasses, for example when serving in the Tom Collins Glass.
Put the cubes in a bag and freeze further as desired.
Ice cubes should be more than just coolants for your cocktails. With a little extra time, you can easily step-up your presentation game with nice, crystal clear ice cubes, adding a touch of elegance to your drink. Enjoy trying this for your next cocktail adventure.
Here is our top-10 list of affordable drinks to help journey back to a few weeks ago when we all smelt of money, and had absolutely no reason to play hide and seek with the landlords.
The cosmopolitan cocktail is one with a shaky origin story. Some argue that it is from the 1930s, while others, early 1900s (1903 to be specific). The most recognized version, however, is that the Cosmopolitan Cocktail was invented by Toby Cecchini of The Odeon in Manhattan in 1987.
Nomenclature is one of the most important things in product development. You want a catchy name that speaks for itself. One that will have people buying and talking about long after a purchase. Whisky is no different. To find that perfect name, one has a choice to either go the family name route or the geographical [...]
The very thought of adding egg white in a drink is scary and you are allowed to get nervous. But think of it this way; whiskey sour is one very strong cocktail, right up there with old-fashioned, so, it may be comforting know that the high alcohol concentration isn't favorable for any traces of salmonella. More like kills [...]
How to Make Crystal Clear Ice Cubes for Your Cocktails.
One essential element of a cocktail is the ice cubes. To most of us, little attention is given to how an ice cube appears, provided it serves its purpose. Ice cubes should be clear – not cloudy. Most people use filtered or boiled water to achieve this purpose, but the result is never as efficient. Below is how you can easily make crystal clear ice cubes at home.
What you need:
Now, there are products specifically for this purpose, though a bit over-priced in the market. But do not worry. Using these items give just similar results.
How to:
The technique used is one known as directional freezing. The underlying principle here is that when water freezes, the impurities, which make the ice appear cloudy, form at the end of the freezing process. So, freezing from top to bottom (directional freeing) makes it easy for you to isolate the impurities before the process ends.
Ice cubes should be more than just coolants for your cocktails. With a little extra time, you can easily step-up your presentation game with nice, crystal clear ice cubes, adding a touch of elegance to your drink. Enjoy trying this for your next cocktail adventure.
Cheers!
Related Posts
Top-10 Affordable Drinks to Enjoy This Month.
Here is our top-10 list of affordable drinks to help journey back to a few weeks ago when we all smelt of money, and had absolutely no reason to play hide and seek with the landlords.
Recipe: The Cosmopolitan Cocktail.
The cosmopolitan cocktail is one with a shaky origin story. Some argue that it is from the 1930s, while others, early 1900s (1903 to be specific). The most recognized version, however, is that the Cosmopolitan Cocktail was invented by Toby Cecchini of The Odeon in Manhattan in 1987.
Monkey Shoulder – The Whiskey Brand.
How to Make the Whiskey Sour Cocktail-With Egg White.