3 Tips for Making Perfect Ice Cubes

Ice cubes 🧊 cool drinks brilliantly, but that's not all! They also play a role in the taste of the drink.

People don't usually think that the choice of ice cubes is important in a cocktail, but it is!

There are advanced techniques used by professionals to obtain the best possible ice cubes, but that's not what we're going to look at today…

We'll give you simple tips that you can implement right now!

Cocktails taste better depending on the water used to make the ice cubes!

It's not something you necessarily think about, but it makes sense: ice cubes melt, and since they melt, the water they contain dilutes in the cocktail... and that's why the taste of the water you use to make your ice cubes is important!

Imagine pouring water directly into your cocktail 💧. You wouldn't use tap water, but rather spring water, which tastes better. The same goes for ice cubes: you don't put the water directly into the cocktail, but the result is identical!

That's why we recommend simply pouring spring water into your ice cube trays . Your cocktails will taste so much better if you follow this simple trick!

The ice cubes dilute the cocktail

The vast majority of cocktails use ice cubes, for two reasons:

• Chill the ingredients so the mixture is deliciously iced ❄️
• And dilute the drink so that its taste is perfect 😋

Thus , water is an ingredient that is part of the cocktail when the recipe indicates the use of ice cubes.

How to dilute your cocktail perfectly?

In the mixing glass

When preparing a cocktail stirred with a spoon, you must use cube-shaped ice cubes 🧊. Simply stir while watching the edges of the ice cubes; as soon as they become rounded, your cocktail is ready!

To allow enough time for proper mixing, it's highly recommended to use large ice cubes (you'll always see large cubes in bartenders' mixing glasses) . Their size means they melt more slowly, giving you time to mix your cocktail correctly without diluting it too much !

In a cocktail shaker

When you're making a cocktail in a shaker, you can't see the edge of the ice cubes… But that's not a problem! Generally, when the outside of your shaker becomes slightly frosted, it means the ice cubes have melted properly. So, simply stop shaking at that point and strain the drink to remove the ice cubes before they melt too much!

Make decorated ice cubes

Here's an extremely simple way to decorate your cocktails! Decorated ice cubes add a beautiful visual touch to your drinks… Here's how to do it:

1. Boil water, then pour it into a wide container and wait for it to cool. (This step removes impurities so the ice cubes are clearer.)
2. Once the water has cooled to room temperature, choose your decorations and scatter them in your ice cube tray. (Use only edible foods, such as fruit or edible flowers.)
3. Pour the water into the mold over the decorations, then place in the freezer.
4. Your ice cubes will be ready in 5-6 hours! (Do not refreeze any ice cube that has melted; if an ice cube has melted, throw it away and make a new one.)

What decorations should I use?

• Lemon slices 🍋 to garnish cocktails containing lemon
• Edible flowers 🌺 in colors to match your cocktail
• Fruits whose juice is in your cocktail (for example, use strawberries for a cocktail that contains strawberry juice)
• Aromatic herbs 🌿 (very pretty, they can also give a light flavor to your ice cubes)

Round ice cube trays are perfect for this type of decoration! Opt for ice cube trays large enough to accommodate your chosen decorations, and which will also offer an original and elegant shape!

Make flavored ice cubes!

You can even add flavor to your ice cubes, and it's very simple! Just freeze some flavored water… Here are a few ideas to give your ice a delicious taste:

• Syrups: pour a little syrup into the bottom of your ice cube tray before adding the water and there you have it! Your ice cubes are flavored AND colored.
• Red cabbage: this vegetable has special properties that cause it to change color! Boil red cabbage in water and you'll get blue water. Let this water cool, then put it in your freezer in an ice cube tray. Use these ice cubes for a cocktail containing lemon… Place the blue ice cubes at the bottom of the cocktail glass. When you add lemon juice on top, the liquid will change color! (We'll let you discover the surprise.)
• Cucumber water 🥒: simply pour cucumber water into your ice cube tray to obtain all green and delicately flavored ice cubes.

We hope you enjoyed this article about ice cubes and that it will help you easily improve your cocktails!