Which Premium Craft Cocktail Ice Will Your Guests Prefer?

Drinks are typically served with some sort of ice to keep them at the appropriate drinking temperature. However, have you ever noticed that the ice served with drinks at bars is very different from the ice your freezer makes at home? There's a difference between regular ice and craft ice, which we get into below.

What is Craft Ice?

Craft ice is a type of clear ice typically used to cool down cocktails. It is generally made with distilled water and contains no impurities or oxygen bubbles, rendering its appearance transparent. This unique ice variety melts slower than regular ice, preserving the flavor and coolness of your drink without diluting it at all. Specialty craft ice is generally used in bars because it prevents the foam from beer or similar frothy liquids from overflowing, and it also melts slowly so as to avoid diluting liquor. This quality is especially useful when it comes to single-liquor drinks in which preserving the flavor without dilution is the goal. This ice is perfect for this because it is frozen at subzero temperatures and contains no oxygen bubbles to accelerate the melting speed. These qualities make craft ice the ideal choice for cocktails, and it makes it an essential addition to the aspiring mixologist’s toolbox.

What is the Difference Between Craft Ice and Regular Ice?

The main differences between craft ice and regular ice are the impurities and the oxygen. Craft ice is generally made from distilled water, so it does not contain the fluoride, potential heavy metals, iron, etc., that can be found in tap water. It is made of water that is as pure as can be and consequently contains no impurities, which is essential for the balance of the ice as well as its melt time. Additionally, a significant difference between craft ice and regular ice is that craft ice is frozen at subzero temperatures with no oxygen bubbles in it. It is for this reason that craft ice is entirely transparent, whereas regular ice is murky from all the oxygen bubbles. This lack of oxygen bubbles makes it so the head of frothy drinks doesn’t overflow, as well as slowing the craft ice’s melting speed so that it will keep drinks cooler for longer without melting and diluting the flavor of the drink.

What Do You Use Craft Ice For?

Craft ice is primarily used for garnishing cocktails and cooling liquor drinks without diluting them. Craft ice can also be used just because it looks nice, and the transparent appearance of the ice is appealing to customers. Craft ice is particularly useful with frothy drinks, such as beer, as it will prevent the foamy head from overflowing when poured. It is also helpful for cocktails that need to be cooled without diluting the underlying flavors of the beverage. Craft ice melts much more slowly than regular ice, so a Classic Margarita by Craft Sourced Cocktails will not have its delicious rum, orange liqueur, or lime juice and honey flavors overwhelmed by the water coming from melted ice. What’s more, if you’re drinking, say a scotch on the rocks or another single liquor, the flavor will not be diluted by melting ice nearly as much if you use craft ice instead of regular ice.

How To Make High-Quality Craft Ice

To make high-quality craft ice, all that is required is a cooler and a freezer. Simply pour several inches of distilled water into the base of a cooler and then place it in the freezer for several hours. Once the liquid has frozen, you might have a few crystallized spots on the very top of the ice, but it should be overall transparent craft ice! Now you can carve the ice into whatever shape you like in order to complete the craft ice serving process. It’s really that easy!

Frequently Asked Questions About Craft Ice

At Sourced Craft Cocktails, we serve a loyal clientele of drink enthusiasts. Here are some of their most commonly asked questions about craft ice in drinks.

Do I Have to Use Craft Ice With My Cocktails?

No, you don’t HAVE to use craft ice for your cocktails, but it will make your cocktails more professional and help preserve the flavor better. The use of crat ice can be the difference between a cocktail that’s just good and one that’s fantastic, so please keep that in mind when considering whether to make craft ice and use it in your beverages.

Does Craft Ice Affect the Taste of Drinks Differently Than Regular Ice?

Craft ice does not affect the taste of drinks per se, but it does preserve the flavor of drinks by melting slowly and thereby not diluting the beverage with water. If you have a cocktail with regular ice in it and you let it sit for too long, it will get watered down from all the melted ice, and this will affect the taste. Craft ice avoids this problem and helps preserve the flavor by melting more slowly.

I’m Trying to Make Craft Ice, but It Keeps Coming out Cloudy

Try to use a large bottomed container, and be sure that nothing agitates it while it sits in the freezer. If your receptacle is shaken or otherwise disturbed while freezing, then that can result in cloudy regular ice as opposed to the transparent craft ice that you ideally want.

Sourced Craft Cocktails

We are proud to offer our unique cocktail kits to you, and with the craft ice that you’ve learned to make in this article, you will be ready to make professional-grade cocktails in no time with our signature and traditional cocktail kits from Sourced Craft Cocktails.