Let’s discuss ice at this time. To most of us, ice is simply one thing we use to chill our drinks or preserve one thing chilly, however to a bartender, it’s an important ingredient and power that can make or break a drink.
Just as cooks use fireplace and warmth to provide you with their culinary creations, bartenders use ice in some ways to produce their masterpieces. While the major perform of ice remains to be to chill a drink, a bartender can wield it in several methods.
Besides chilling, bartenders additionally use ice to combine and to dilute the drinks. Ice is used for chilling glasses, for shaking a drink, for stirring, and even generally as an important a part of the drink’s presentation.
But when it comes to making cocktails, not simply any ice will do, a minimum of in the event you’re a skilled bartender.
Clear ice blocks not solely look nice in drinks like the Negroni, but in addition soften a lot slower than common cubed ice. – MICHAEL CHEANG/The StarAccording to C.Ok. Kho, founding father of acclaimed Kuala Lumpur bars Coley and Pahit, there’s a massive difference between industrial ice, and ice that’s used for cocktail making.
“Most of the ice supplied in KL is mainly tube ice, which is very soft and dilutes very quickly when you are making cocktails,” he stated.
“That’s why we’ve seen a demand for good ice, as bartenders are getting more detailed and very particular when it comes to cocktail making.”
But what precisely is “good ice”? Kho defines it as ice that’s a) the right dimension, b) has a excessive density, and c) made with good high quality water.
“Good ice should hold the temperature of the drinks better, and give the bartender more control over the dilution of the cocktail as well. It should also be visually appealing so the finished drink looks better in appearance,” he defined.
But why? Ice is simply ice, right? Well, in the event you’re critical about mixing drinks it’s best to in all probability study a bit extra about ice. For occasion, do you know that there are literally 4 kinds of ice that can be used for making drinks? They are cubed, crushed, cracked and block.
Most bartenders would generally use cubed ice to shake or stir their cocktails, and each strategies additionally manipulate the ice in several ways in which can change the flavour or texture of your drink.
Let’s take that very well-known instance of James Bond’s “shaken not stirred” vodka martini. When a martini is shaken with the ice inside a cocktail shaker, the combination is left in the ice longer, and would additionally include a lot extra of the ice (and water), leading to a colder, however much less flavourful vodka martini in contrast to one made with the traditional means of stirring it with ice cubes earlier than being strained into the martini glass.
(Oh, by the means, in the event you’re shaking your cocktail, it’s higher to pressure your drink over a contemporary batch of ice in the glass, as pouring it immediately from the shaker, ice and all, will solely get you a very diluted drink.)
A caipirinha cocktail with crushed ice (left) and one made with ice cubes. – Photo: Filepic
What you place in your glass, nevertheless, is one other matter. Many cocktails served with ice normally name for both crushed or cubed ice, however utilizing a massive block in your glass as a substitute of a few cubes additionally makes a enormous difference to your consuming expertise.
The cause for that is a matter of dimension, density and floor space. A single ice block has a smaller floor space in contrast to a few unfastened items of cubed ice, therefore decreasing the quantity of ice that’s uncovered to air, which implies that it could soften slower.
Having a nice, clear block of ice in your drink additionally appears to be like higher than having a lot of completely different sized cubes floating round, plus it additionally makes positive that it doesn’t dilute too shortly when you are consuming it.
Most bartenders would generally use cubed ice to shake or stir their cocktails. Photo: FilepicThat’s the cause why many cocktail bars have a tendency to favor utilizing clear ice blocks when presenting their drinks.
“We have three types of ice at our bar,” says Kho. “Cube ice for storing and shaking purposes, block ice to serve drinks or cocktails on the rocks like the Negroni or Old Fashioned, and ice sticks to serve long drinks or highballs.”
As the consumption of ice elevated at Coley and Pahit, they began to spend money on higher ice-making tools so as to produce extra. That finally led to a new enterprise referred to as Isi=Padu Ice Company, which sells clear ice specifically crafted for bar or dwelling use.
“We make our ice using high quality filtered water and an ice maker that gives us a super high density and compact ice,” Kho stated.
“Right now we only sell two types of ice – blocks and ice balls to serve cocktails or spirits on the rock, and ice sticks and bricks for long drinks.”
If you’re making your personal ice at dwelling, the way you retailer it should additionally make a difference to your ice.
“At home, we tend to store the ice in the freezer with other ingredients like meat, and if the ice is not properly packed, it might absorb the flavour or smell from these other foods, which will affect the flavour of your drinks as well,” says Kho, including that Isi=Padu vacuum packs every bit of ice individually to keep away from this from taking place.
Of course, at the finish of the day, all of it boils down to what you’re actually utilizing your ice for. For most of us, simply a regular tray of ice cubes in the freezer would in all probability be ample.
But it’s additionally good to know that there are alternatives on the market in the event you’re trying to elevate your dwelling consuming expertise additional.
Michael Cheang solely has eyes for nice ice. Follow him on Facebook and Instagram (@MyTipsyTurvy).
