One of the most overlooked ingredients in a cocktail is the one used in just about every one: ice. From preparation to presentation, the ice used is paramount to a great cocktail and anything served “on the rocks." Let’s break this down into a few points:
Water used for the ice
The water used in ice production will become a part of the cocktail you are making, so be aware of the quality and flavor of the water itself. No need to use designer water carried by naked virgins from a secret spring in the Himalayas. Filtered tap water is just fine. Those old ice cube trays in your grandmother's refrigerator are a great size for cocktail ice, just scrub them down, as they can pick up freezer odors from the defrost cycle. The quest for perfectly clear ice at home is not a big production, just a few extra steps. Here’s how: The water first must be filtered and boiled. Boiling the water releases any dissolved gasses in the water. Once the trays are filled with the boiled water and placed in your freezer, wait a bit until they start to freeze, then, poke a hole into each cube to allow for expansion. Ice cube trays freeze water from the outside in, and this will prevent the cubes from cracking when they fully freeze. It’s the same science as bottle of beer in a freezer. If it is in for too long, it cracks due to the expansion of the water.
Ice temperature and dilution
The temperature of the ice will directly affect how quickly your cocktail dilutes. Most ice machines used in bars and restaurants produce ice that is just under the freezing temperature of 32 degrees. This chills the drink down very quickly, however, it dilutes the drink within a few minutes. A super-cold ice maintains the integrity of an “on the rocks” (such as scotch, bourbon, etc.) drink for much longer periods. It is also prevents over-diluting a “shaken” cocktail, such as a sour; or a “stirred” cocktail, including a Manhattan or a martini.
Ice shapes
The shape of ice is also key in cocktail preparation. Uniformity is very important here. Although it is becoming increasingly trendy to use different shapes of ice, and in some spots, to chip ice pieces off of a large block, I personally use 1 ¼” cubes for the most part, which are just a bit larger than the old fashioned ice cube tray size. Hand chipped ice is a bit more dramatic, but you cannot get consistent amounts in the various sizes which will affect the formulas in most cocktails. I am also a bit leery of the current trend of having one big ice cube in a glass. I can imagine a long cylindrical piece of ice sticking to the bottom of a Collins glass, then slamming into your front teeth when you take a drink. Shaved or shattered ice is traditional in some cocktails such as a mai tai. Just be sure to put it in a plastic bag, wrap it in a dish towel and hit it with a blunt object a few times. The plastic bag will contain it and, most important, prevent the towel from imparting a soapy taste if scented detergent or fabric softener has been used to clean it. It also helps avoid any fuzzy lint in your glass. For home use, you can’t beat the dry, sticky ice from old aluminum ice cube trays.
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