How does ice impact the flavor, structure, and overall drinking experience?

Commonly found in households as 1inch cubes, ice comes in many shapes that help bartenders and baristas alike design the perfect beverage drinking experience: big blocks, small pebbles, spheres, and diamonds. When we think about ice and design, we usually picture how it'll look in the glass, but more important is the surface area. Here's the breakdown: the larger the surface area, the faster ice melts. A larger surface area will cool your drink quickly, but it will also dilute your drink. That's why some folks swear by a big cube or spheres for keeping drinks cool without watering them down. According to researcher Jairo C. Peralta, the shape of your ice matters: "It is well known that a cube has more surface area per gram of ice than a cylinder or a sphere. Thus, ice cubes chill beverages faster. Consequently, the melting of the ice is smaller for the spherical shape. As the ice melts, it dilutes hard and soft drinks, changing their taste. Particularly, ice cools carbonated drinks without fizzing," he adds. We know that there is no "perfect" ice cube. Different drinks require different ice sizes. When it comes to cooling your drink, the only way to avoid dilution is to have the cube be a component of the cocktail (e.g., making ice cubes out of juice or mixers) or to chill the glassware—the best example is iced coffee. Most of the time, it's made of a concentrate with ice, so as the temperature of the beverage warms, the ice melts and, in turn, dilutes the concentrate into a cool, sippable, smoother iced coffee. The same happens for a strong beverage neat a large cube slowly melts, making the drinking experience of the alcohol more enjoyable.

What about clear cubes?

The most common misconception about clear ice is how you treat the water. Unfortunately, boiling or using spring or filtered water won’t make a big difference because while minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, and total dissolved solids do play a part, they are likely not the primary reason for your cloudy cubes. In most cases, it's a combination of trapped air and impurities. Camper English, author of The Ice Book, dives deep into the concept of directional freezing, which is one of the only methods guaranteed to improve the clarity of your cubes. This concept, which pushes impurities and air away from the freezing point, mimics the natural freezing processes such as those of lakes. The result is crystalclear ice instead of milky cubes. Although clear ice won't significantly alter the flavor, it definitely enhances the aesthetic and curates an experience that feels a bit more sophisticated.

One of the most vital yet often overlooked components in your cocktail is ice

Ice is far more than just a way to keep your drink cold. It's an essential element of flavor, structure, and experience. Between the pebble ice in your coffee or a crystalclear Collins sphere in your cocktail, shape, clarity, and melt rate all contribute to how a drink looks, feels, and tastes. Next time you raise a glass, take a moment to consider your ice: are you using it just to chill your drink, or to elevate the entire experience?