Some people are quite particular about the alcohol that goes into their favorite adult beverage. Nothing but the best top shelf booze for those willing to spend the extra money to get the most memorable drinking experience.

But have you ever given much thought to the other main ingredient in your drink? The ice.

There's a new trend making its way into upscale bars across the United States - luxury ice. It refers to more than just the quality of the water in the cubes, but also the process of how the ice is created.

Recently, a CNET Magazine article, 'In Pursuit of Perfect Ice', looked at the origins of ice and discovered that in the days before modern refrigeration, ice was harvested from lakes and streams, hand cut, and delivered to bars in giant blocks that where then manually transformed into individual cubes.

Not only did these cubes consist of pure water, but because they were frozen from the inside out and transported in large sections, there were more dense, melted slower, and chilled drinks more efficiently.

Modern day drinking establishments are taking this luxury ice a step further, hand-crafting them into 'designer' shapes. So you have something pretty to look at while you pay a lot more for that drink with the 'perfect ice'.

Scotsman Brillance Gourmet Cuber
ScotsmanHomeIce.com
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So how do you get icy perfection at the wet bar in your basement? Well, there's good news and bad news.

The good news? Companies like Scotsman Home Ice and True Manuafacuting are selling contraptions with names like the 'Brilliance Gourmet Cuber' and the 'Clear Ice Machine' for home use. These machines crank out up to 65-70 pounds-a-day of ice so good Elsa from Frozen would be jealous.

The bad news? These units are bulky - designed to fit under a kitchen counter or bar - and need to be installed by a professional. All for a cool $2,000 or more.

But, CNET says if you don't want to shell out more than a house payment for an ice machine, you can follow these 'simple' steps to make your own 'perfect ice':

  1. Start with a freezer that has lots of space
  2. Use an insulated container with a open top
  3. Fill the container with clean water
  4. After 12 hours, use a serrated bread knife and rubber mallet to chisel away unwanted ice crystals, leaving just the pure ice.

By the time you finish, I'll be well into my third or fourth drink, that'll be drowning in a sea of very ordinary, cloudy cubes.

Enjoy!


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