Make ‘Clear Ice’
There are a few reasons why clear ice is worth your time, but the most compelling reason is the aesthetic. A visually pleasing cocktail goes a long way toward to overall experience. If you think about it, when you put that much effort into the ice… chances are the cocktail will match that effort in preparation — trust me, you do not want to waste precious clear ice on a lackluster cocktail! And, the best part? You probably have the tools for the job already laying around your house. Here’s what you need:
a plastic (insulated) beverage cooler with the top lid removed
a knife (I prefer a combination of a nakiri and a serrated knife)
a mallet
a cutting board (or bar mat)
a cotton towel (one that won’t transfer fibers)
For sake of simplicity, a process called “directional freezing” allows you to turn your plastic beverage cooler filled with tap water into a “clear ice” making machine! Removing the lid of the beverage cooler enables the water to freeze from the top down, pushing all of the impurities (i.e. cloudiness) toward the bottom. Depending on the size of the cooler you use, this can take some time. I use a 5-quart cooler and it takes almost a full day to freeze (but not entirely through). In the end, you are left with a giant hunk of clear ice… that was the easy part. Now that you have the big hunk of clear ice, you have to carve it up:
Setup your carving station near a sink or even outdoors if you need more space — water and ice will need a place to go.
Remove from freezer and place the cooler upside down on your cutting board — the ice should naturally slide out from the cooler within 5 to 10 minutes.
Drain water trapped (this is where all of the impurities ended up) and knock off the excess ice.
Begin scoring the ice block with your knife and begin tapping the knife with the mallet to break off that chunk. Repeat the process until you get the desired shape(s).
Most of what I carve are the large cubes for cocktails such as the Old Fashioned and Negroni, however there is no limit as to what you can carve; you can make long rectangles for Collins cocktails, smaller cubes for cocktails “on the rocks”, even try your hand at hand carving an ice sphere if you have the patience… just be sure that it will fit well in your glassware.
I guarantee that at some point you will be carving your block and end up getting derailed by a hairline crack that developed; these defects within the block are usually attributed to any disturbances during the freezing process. As frustrating as that will be, I usually end up taking those pieces and cutting them down further for cocktails that are being stirred in a mixing glass or even served “on the rocks.” I am not going to lie… this is definitely a labor of love, but try it for yourself and see if you notice the difference!
